7 pages., As the information revolution sweeps through the agricultural sector, extension professionals may be lagging behind their clients in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) such as social media, which could be a valuable tool for outreach and education. We surveyed sustainable agriculture stakeholders in California - extension professionals, county agricultural commissioners, and members of farm bureaus and producer groups - to measure their ICT behavior and attitudes. Drawing on diffusion of innovation theory, we characterized the innovation attributes of ICT that may influence the adoption and use of new technology among extension professionals. We also studied their demographic characteristics to establish whether there was a connection with ICT use. The main perceived benefit of ICT was that it can quickly reach larger, more diverse and more distant audiences. The perceived challenges included lack of professional support, the potential for misinformation on social media platforms, and the time requirements and technical complexity of technology use. Extension professionals experienced these challenges more than other sustainable agriculture stakeholders, creating a technology gap between extension professionals and their clientele. An ICT community of practice and clear organizational guidelines for measuring and reporting performance relating to ICT might help extension professionals dose the gap.
Ervin, David E. (author), Frisvold, George B. (author), and Portland State Univ, Inst Sustainable Solut, 241 Cramer Hall,1721 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 USA
Portland State Univ, Environm Management & Econ, 241 Cramer Hall,1721 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 USA
Univ Arizona, Dept Agr & Resource Econ, 319 Cesar Chavez Bldg, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016
Published:
USA: WEED SCI SOC AMER, 810 EAST 10TH ST, LAWRENCE, KS 66044-8897 USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08227
Darmasetiawan, Rommy (author), Nystuen, John D. (author), Sulistyo, Djoko (author), Zinn, Frank D. (author), and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; National Family Planning Coordinating Board, Jakarta, Indonesia; National Family Planning Coordinating Board, Jakarta, Indonesia
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1991-12
Published:
Tarrytown, N.Y. : Pergamon Press, Inc.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 93 Document Number: C06935
12 pages., Online via UI e-subscription, "In this essay the perspective of Ritzer's McDonaldization of Society thesis is the starting point for developing theses about corporate communication (CorpCom). The central idea of McDonaldization is that increasing numbers of organizations are run as fast food restaurants, focusing on efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control of people. "At the same time that CorpCom departments help organizations with the McDonaldization of their organizations, they are also the ones most likely to be the first to be confronted with the irrationality that the economic rationality of the organization evokes. Stakeholders who disagree with the opinions and ideas of the organization come knocking on the door and generally that will be the door of the CorpCom professional. The irrationality of rationality, as the fifth dimension of McDonaldization, is likely to become visible and tangible in their offices. All types of tensions throughout the organization, for example, those regarding environmental, health, and other societal issues, seem to converge in the CorpCom department."
