6 Facts about the Profession of Social Media Buzzers that Play a Big Role in Influencing Public Opinion

Kapanlagi.com - Recently, the profession of social media buzzers has once again become a topic of public discussion. This started from an incident experienced by comedian Bintang Emon who allegedly received attacks from social media buzzers. The role of social media buzzers itself is quite significant in influencing public opinion.

Although the profession of buzzers has been quite frequently heard, revisiting the profession of social media buzzers and knowing how they work is necessary to increase information insights. Bintang Emon's video that was uploaded some time ago regarding criticism of the trial of Senior Investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Novel Baswedan, became viral and a trending topic in the online world.

Through that video, the comedian with the name Gusti Muhammad Abdurrahman Bintang Mahaputra received attacks from three fake accounts on Twitter. These accounts are suspected to be social media buzzers. All three spread false accusations about Bintang Emon, calling him a drug user.

It is known that Bintang Emon had difficulty tracking down those accounts. This false accusation also caused a stir in the online world and influenced public opinion. However, Bintang Emon proved himself to be drug-free by uploading the results of a drug test issued by an official hospital.

So what exactly is a social media buzzer and how does it work?

The following are the facts about the profession of social media buzzer and how it works, sourced from the Journal of Research and Development of Communication, Human Resources Development and Communication Research Institute of Manado Communication and Information Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia by Christiany Juditha in 2019.

1. Definition of Buzzers

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Actually, the profession of buzzers became popular when people started using social media extensively. The word 'buzzer' itself comes from English, which means bell or alarm. In terms of terminology, the bell and alarm here function to call, gather, and inform a large number of people with the aim of making an announcement.

When connected to social media, the profession of buzzers aims to promote, campaign, and market a product, activity, or service through the use of social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and others.

These buzzers are paid to post something on their social media accounts to their followers. The success of a buzzer is considered if they are able to attract the interest of many people with what they post. Another opinion also states that the success of a buzzer can be measured by the number of topics that become public discussion.

2. Having Many Followers

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A social media influencer is known to have a sufficient number of followers. The number of followers serves to support the success of what has been posted. Sourced from Rivani Aribie in her book titled Twitter is Money, she explains that the minimum number of followers should be at least 3000 followers.

Some also say that the minimum number of followers is 2000. In addition, another opinion states that the more followers there are, the more it will increase the success of the influencer's profession.

3. Active on Social Media

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Another fact about the influencer profession that needs to be known is that they are quite active on social media. This means that influencers are able to interact with their followers. This can support the success of marketing, spreading, and promoting relevant information to the public. This includes activities such as posting, commenting, sharing unique and interesting content with followers consistently.

4. Interesting Content

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Furthermore, another fact about the profession of a buzzer is that they can create interesting and unique content that is then shared by followers. The ability to package such content plays a significant role in getting it discussed by the public through social media. This enables them to build branding and influence people regarding what the buzzer has posted.

5. How Buzzer Works

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The way a buzzer works is considered quite easy and not too difficult. They simply need to post or spread certain information that is capable of influencing their followers. In addition, buzzers can also work individually or in groups based on the promotional goals they have. If a post becomes viral or a trending topic, it can be said that they have successfully influenced the public.

6. Having Broad Knowledge

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Sourced from the Journal of Research and Development of Communication, Development Center for Human Resources and Communication Research and Informatics Manado Ministry of Communication and Informatics of the Republic of Indonesia by Christiany Juditha taken from research conducted by CIPG (Centre for Innovation Policy and Governance in 2017, reveals that one of the characteristics of a buzzer is that they must have extensive knowledge about certain issues. In this case, it is done to produce content with interesting information frames.

Well, those are 6 facts about the profession of social media buzzers that have a big role in influencing public opinion. Various pros and cons often attack the profession of social media buzzers.

(kpl/nlw)