We study a society composed of various occupational or cultural groups where agents form opinions about others' situations within the same or different groups. Opinions develop either through observation within their own group or by directly interacting with members of other groups via word of mouth (WoM). Additionally, global mass media (MM) may provide indirect information about the situations of various groups. The sociocultural interplay of these processes and the degrees of relative exposure to each source diversify the effects on final opinion and social attitude formation. In large and complex societies where not everyone can physically interact by WoM with everyone about everything, these processes show potential for mass control and social automation engineering. Our model can also represent segmented societies consisting of groups with different occupational and cultural characteristics, offering insights into social issues such as the generation gap and social cleavages.
Blogger's Review: This paper explores how sociocultural factors influence opinion formation, emphasizing the interaction between word of mouth and mass media. It holds significant sociological and psychological implications, particularly in understanding complex social structures and dynamics. The model analysis reveals opinion differences among groups and their potential social impacts, warranting further exploration and attention.