8 pages, Public perception about the reality of climate change has remained polarized and propagation of fake information on social media can be a potential cause. Homophily in communication, the tendency of people to communicate with others having similar beliefs, is understood to lead to the formation of echo chambers which reinforce individual beliefs and fuel further increase in polarization. Quite surprisingly, in an empirical analysis of the effect of homophily in communication on the level of polarization using evidence from Twitter conversations on the climate change topic during 2007–2017, we find that evolution of homophily over time negatively affects the evolution of polarization in the long run. Among various information about climate change to which people are exposed to, they are more likely to be influenced by information that have higher credibility. Therefore, we study a model of polarization of beliefs in social networks that accounts for credibility of propagating information in addition to homophily in communication. We find that polarization can not increase with increase in homophily in communication unless information propagating fake beliefs has minimal credibility. We therefore infer from the empirical results that anti-climate change tweets are largely not credible.
Briese, Lee Galen (author) and The University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Format:
Dissertation
Publication Date:
2019
Published:
Ann Arbor: ProQuest
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 18 Document Number: D10472
Notes:
81 pages., ISBN: 9781392073537, Via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses., Agronomy is not simply the selling of agricultural products to farmers, nor is it the process of solving singular production problems. Agronomy is defined as the integrated, holistic perspective of agriculture (ASA, 2019) and “agronomists are specialists in crop and soil sciences, as well as ecology” (ASA, 2019). While scientific investigation and discovery are essential to understanding systems function, the tangible benefits from our knowledge stems from the application to solve problems. Clear communication is vital to successfully help stakeholders understand the importance of the science and help scientists understand the challenges stakeholders face. However, to successfully put science into action, solutions need to address the whole system and strategies need to be customized. To this end it is critical to be able to detect, accurately diagnose and prioritize the problems and challenges within agricultural systems. These steps cannot be carried out remotely or by those who lack the skills or knowledge. Rather, they must be performed by well-trained, experienced people who can translate information into actionable practices. Furthermore, stakeholders need to trust that the advice is accurate and applicable to their system, hence the important role of the trusted adviser. The trusted adviser is someone with the knowledge and skills to assess the entire system, access to scientists and full comprehension of the research. They also must understand the needs and challenges faced by the stakeholder farmers and gain their trust. These trusted advisers play a pivotal role in the capability of agriculture to respond to climate change, population increase and establishing sustainable systems. Our future depends not only on the discovery of scientific knowledge but more so on the application of it. What good are the solutions if no one ever uses them?
The following document was written to address communication challenges discovered during an internship working with university extension specialists to deliver programming to farmers and directly advising university researchers on practical challenges that farmers face. These on-farm barriers often prevent farmers from adopting new practices. It is also the culmination of twenty years of field experience serving farmers by scouting, identifying, prioritizing, problem solving, communicating, compromising and building trust. This document is intended to urge all practitioners of agronomy and the related agricultural sciences to become trusted advisers, elevate their practice to a new level and approach the challenges of agriculture from a systems point of view. They also need to create actionable strategies not only to protect crop yields but also to protect the soil, the environment, the ecosystem and the wellbeing of the farmer and of everyone who partakes of the bounty.
