M5 Blog Post #4: Conducting Research on New Literacies

    The National FFA Organization, previously known as Future Farmers of America, already exists as a participatory culture, but I am interested in learning how media can both assist and complicate student voice, leadership identity, and civic engagement. By identifying the complications of media I am hoping to come up with solutions that ensure all students are benefiting from their education in my agriculture classroom. 

    The FFA promotes leadership and student voice, while digital media aides in expanding participation. However, digital media also presents unique inequalities and pressures for our students. For my final project, I am interested in learning about how other agriculture teachers handle the use of social media and how I can best utilize usage to increase the size of my agriculture classes. 

Annotated Bibliography: 

Anderson, M., Vogels, E. A., Perrin, A., & Rainie, L. (2022). Connection, creativity and drama: Teen life on social media in 2022. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/11/16/connection-creativity-and-drama-teen-life-on-social-media-in-2022/

    The report from the Pew Research Center incorporated data from over thirteen-hundred teens to evaluate what teens post, their perceptions of social media, and the emotions invoked by social media to evaluate the need for intervention so that teens do not have long-term negative effects. The data was collected through a series of surveys given to teens. Teens reported benefits of feeling stronger connections with peers and a very small number self-reported that they felt social media had a more negative than positive impact on themselves. As many as 71% of participants reported that they felt they could share more of their creative side. Supporting the claim that social media can complicate teen lives, are data points such as 38% of teens getting overwhelmed by drama, as well as 30% of students feeling left out by peers and a similar percentage feeling pressured to post online. 

---

Hollenbaugh, E. E. (2021). Self-Presentation in social media: Review and research opportunities. Review of Communication Research, 9, 80-98. https://doi.org/10.12840/ISSN.2255-4165.027

    This article utilizes existing research on social media visibility, anonymity, and persistence and indicates that there are prevalent tensions with social media use. The research conducted on online presence, specifically self-presentation, explains how social media users try to balance authenticity with making an impression on other people. This directly relates to performance and authenticity pressures that are put on students when they are posting on their personal or group FFA accounts. This is a source that also reveals pressures of social media presence. Students must balance authenticity with anticipated judgements from peers. 

---

Lawson, C., Doerfert, D., & Filson, C. (2021). State FFA Association use of Instagram to promote membership diversity. Journal of Agricultural Education, 62(2), 97-118 https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2021.02097 

    These authors address how the National FFA Organization uses Instagram to promote membership diversity. They include information about the impact that social identity and emotions have on a sense of belonging within the organization. The data included in this study comes from various FFA chapters in all 50 states and 2 territories where FFA chapters exist. In this study, over 450 Instagram posts made by FFA chapters were viewed to determine diversity in FFA. One finding was that only 15% of the posts exhibited diversity, which supports the claim that media can complicate student voice, because it demonstrates a missed opportunity for inclusion. 

---

Rogers-Randolph, T., Lundy, L. K., Telg, R. W., Rumble, J. N., Myers, B. E., & Lindsey, A. B. (2021). To post or not to post? Factors influencing state FFA officers’ social media behaviors. Journal of Applied Communications, 105(1), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2362

    An article written specifically about State FFA Officers’ social media behaviors has a balance of benefits and tensions related to social media presence. The sample size consists of 97 state FFA officers across the United States during the 2018-2019 school year. The data collection method was digital surveys sent out to all of the State Officers that year. The responses from these officers demonstrate a need for digital media spaces to give these student leaders a way to communicate and advocate effectively, but that they must also consider professionalism and organizational image. State Officers’ posts are visible to their advisors, stakeholders, and peers, so students must modify their behavior and self-regulate what they post. This illustrates how digital media can create pressures for self-monitoring. 

    Agricultural professionals that are 35 years old or younger are considered “digital natives” because they have grown up through the years of rapid technological innovations. This age range utilizes social media to advocate for agriculture more than any other age range. The data collected provides insight into which platforms are most utilized by these “digital natives”, and which platforms have the highest likelihood of hosting discussions about agriculture industry issues. 

---

Rogers-Randolph, T., Lundy, L. K., Harsh, J. L., & Rabon, R. (2018). #TransformFFA: An analysis of social media content during the 2016 National FFA Convention. Journal of Applied Communications, 102(3). https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.1074

    Research was completed on social media content during the 2016 National FFA Convention which helps support the claim that digital media expands participation and visibility within FFA culture. The data collection occurred between October 19 and October 22, 2016 and during this window there were 344 social media posts evaluated across platforms limited to Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. A coding software was used to analyze the content of these posts to determine what themes were commonly shown to the public. The article highlights that students felt more connectedness, recognition, and reinforced leadership and community engagement due to the posts made during the convention. It also suggests that certain aspects of the FFA organization, such as personal growth and career success, are underrepresented and support the claim that tensions exist in media related to FFA. 

---

Taylor, R., Ruth, T. K., Robison, B., Conner, N. W., & Reiling, B. (2025). An exploration of Nebraska agricultural educators’ use of social media to promote their local FFA chapters. Journal of Agricultural Education, 66(1), Article 39. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v66i1.40

    The article analyzes the importance of social media in order to reach the community that youth groups interact with and serve. The study was conducted on over two-hundred Nebraska agriculture teachers and evaluated what FFA chapters were posting on social media and which applications reached the most viewers. The research indicated that in most cases agriculture teachers were the people responsible for posting on social media. It also found that many teachers would allow students to create the posts and send them to the teacher for posting. This would help students create a digital portfolio to demonstrate what they have learned with the help of digital media. 

---