9 pages, Social media has been recognized as a powerful tool supporting communication of many topics in the agriculture industry. We explored the use of social media platforms among farmers market managers and specialty crop growers in Illinois through an online survey. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were platforms used by the majority of respondents. We found that social media was used primarily for communicating with consumers for marketing purposes. We identified major training needs of farmers market stakeholders related to using social media to promote business and convey food safety information.
5 pages, Social media usage has precipitated changes in Cooperative Extension’s delivery of programs to amplify involvement with selected audiences and it is important that we craft relevant content for a variety of audiences. Current research tells us that social media and related content can enrich education and can create broader audiences for programming. Resources like blogs, podcasts, and geofilters have shown to be received positively by a wide range of audiences and have created greater rates of engagement.
Yet, one platform that has received limited attention is TikTok, perhaps due to TikTok’s mixed reviews in educational systems. With current trends showing that 48% of 18-29 year olds are using the app, we believe that TikTok has great potential for connecting audiences with research-based information and engaging previously unreached communities.
Israel, Glenn D. (author), Borger, Ruth H. (author), Greer, Kelly (author), Kelly, Susan (author), Byrum, Keri Leymaster (author), Pelham, Jennifer (author), Samuel, Norma (author), Singleton, Lloyd O. (author), Wells, Robert H. (author), and Momol, Timur (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2015-08
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 141 Document Number: D06342
