We have all experienced just how much social media has changed our lives. It increases our potential connections to people and groups across the globe – helping us build relationships with those we have and have not met offline.
In a recent study, authors Katie (Dobbins) Sanders, Fallys Masambuka-Kanchewa, and Alexa J. Lamm sought to explore how cultural identity impacts the use of, and engagement with, social media content related to agriculture and the environment.
Despite the availability of several studies integrating cultural identity, environment, and social media, a gap was observed within research directly examining the intersection of science communication, cultural identity, and social media. Due to the changing dynamics in agricultural and environmental communication through social media channels, scholars should consider the connections between identity, scientific information, and social media messaging for effective communication strategies.
The authors presented their findings and key takeaways from the research in the 2021-2022 Association for Communication Excellence Professional Development Webinar Series.
The authors hope their research encourages other science communicators within agricultural and natural resource communication to consider both their audiences’ and their own identities when communicating through social media.
Check out the full research article here.
