Journal of Applied Communications

Review of Film Directing: Shot by Shot—25th Anniversary Edition: Visualizing from Concept to Screen.

Scientists are reported to be more trusted than other information sources; yet, on essential water facts, people sometimes reject what they perceive water scientists to believe in favor of other belief determinants. This study examines the factors that affect the difference in people's stated willingness to reconsider their water beliefs in response to information provided by scientists relative to information provided by other sources. Regression analysis of responses provided by 806 Florida and Georgia residents found water science knowledge to be a consistently strong influencer of the gap in reliance on scientific information providers relative to other sources. This result is notable given criticisms of the knowledge deficit model. Pre-existing water beliefs had varying levels of influence, and political identity, which might have functioned as a decision heuristic, had little statistically significant effect. The study additionally found water science knowledge and water beliefs to not be strongly related. Higher scores on a water science knowledge assessment were not necessarily an indicator of accurate and knowledge-congruent water beliefs. Moreover, scientific water knowledge and water beliefs had different effects on participants’ reliance on scientific information sources.

The concept of agricultural sustainability, specifically sustainable beef production, is not well established, and much misinformation frames this conversation. One way agricultural communicators can educate the public on this controversial topic is through infographics. Scholars have suggested recall, or the mental process of retrieving information from the past, as a technique to understand what someone has comprehended when exposed to new information. The Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP) provides insight into human information processing and recall, and it guided this study’s development. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect various types of data visualizations used in infographics about agricultural topics have on college students’ knowledge and ability to recall attributes from the data visualizations. An experimental study was conducted where participants viewed one of three infographics with embedded data visualizations and answered questions to understand their recall of information, design elements, and information recognition. The results show pictographs were significantly more effective in participant information recognition and the free and cued recall of design; however, it was not significant for free and cued recall of information. These findings add to the agricultural communication literature as they show how the type of data visualization can impact how viewers encode, store, and retrieve information. The researchers suggest agricultural communicators implement pictographs more frequently in infographic communications strategy. Additionally, agricultural communicators must begin to train students on the use of data visualization techniques in classroom settings.

Each year, Fortune magazine publishes a list of the 500 largest corporations in the United States of America based on total revenue in the previous fiscal year. As successful companies, these organizations must prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for a multitude of reasons. The purpose of this study was to determine how agricultural and food companies on the 2021 Fortune 500 list demonstrated a commitment to DEI efforts on their corporate websites. Thus, we analyzed the DEI website of each food and agricultural company listed on the 2021 Fortune 500 list. Quantitatively, most websites only required two clicks to access resources and information regarding how the company supports diverse audiences in the workplace when navigating from the main corporate website. Corporations should ensure DEI is a priority for and clearly communicate this on the website using definitions, statements, and employee resources on websites. Additionally, using visuals such as photos, videos, and graphics can improve communication in this space. For the qualitative portion of the study, we analyzed the use of executive and employee voices in communicating about DEI on the corporate landing page. Two themes emerged. Within the corporate theme came the work-to-be-done subtheme which addresses corporate DEI work as a work in progress. The second theme was the personal and professional theme which helps support the personal and professional wellbeing of employees and stakeholders. We offer suggestions for communicators and executives for communicating about DEI in the food and agriculture webspace and offer recommendations for future research

Social media and the internet have impacted how companies and organizations advertise to consumers. Digital advertising has created the opportunity to engage with consumers, target specific groups, and capture metrics of use to help build effective advertising strategies. The floral industry is a large sector within the agricultural arena, which is primed to engage with young consumers. This research examined the effectiveness of utilizing static and animated social media advertisements to increase consumers’ intention to purchase floral products. Using an online survey and an experimental design, this study examined 8,488 respondents’ intention to purchase floral products after viewing static and animated social media advertisements. This study identified respondents’ attitudes, social norms, age, and internet use to be significant predictors in their intent to purchase floral products. Recommendations from a theoretical and applied perspective are discussed within relation to the study’s findings to advance strategic advertising in the floral industry.