This study sought to examine how young Ohio agriculturalists are using new media and how media are gratifying their needs. Theories used to guide this study included uses and gratifications theory, innovation diffusion theory, social technographics, and the technology acceptance model.
To complete this study, 129 questionnaires were collected from voluntary participants at the Ohio Farm Bureau sponsored Young Ag Professionals’ Leadership Conference, held in Columbus, OH. Basic descriptive, quantitative statistics were completed on the data. In addition, open- ended coding was used to analyze any qualitative portions of the study.
Results from this study showed that participants value face-to-face communication as their primary source for receiving information. The majority of respondents indicated that they would not be willing to switch from traditional, printed media to a new electronic form. Most respondents also indicated that cell phones were the primary tool used in everyday communication, and email was most often cited for its use and subsequent gratification. Specific conclusions pertaining to each research objective are discussed in the results and conclusions chapter.
Suggestions were made for further research. In addition, recommendations were made to agricultural communicators and educators. These recommendations include continued monitoring of new technologies, including the diffusion of tablet devices; offering agricultural publications in both print and electronic versions; and continued implementation of online tools and computer usage in education strategies.