Situational Factors and Peasants' Search for Market Information

Abstract

Field survey in Brazil finds information value to be function of latitude of decision making and how well message aids in carrying out a course of action.b An assumption that runs through much of the development communication literature is that nearly all mass media content in some way aids modernization. If the content does not lead directly to some behavioral change, it is argued that it a t least adds some small increment to a modernized mentality. Accepting this, the crucial factor is availability, and the policy implication is to make development of a modern mass media system a high priority item.But availability doesn't guarantee use, and use isn't synonymous with benefits gained. Surely what is said must make some difference. Nevertheless measures of content are seldom included in research designs. Communication planning manuals devote most of their space to how to present messages-skills and techniques. They give little consideration I Marion Brown. 'CommunKation and A.gicultural Ikvclopmcnt: A Field Experiment." JOI'RMLISM Q i ' A R r t R l >. 47. 725-34 (Winter 1970). ?John Fcit. 'Contcnt and Situational Relcvancc of Agricultural News In Brazilian Papers.-Joi RSAI ISM Qt % a i t n i > , 49.505-1 I (Autumn 1972).

Deficits, Differences, and Ceilings

“…Certain lines of research in the mass communication literature may, however, be useful in this regard. For example, the current generation of uses and gratifications research may give some indication of the attitudes and behaviors which mediate the relation between one's social context and his media use; research on information seeking (Atkin, 1973;Fett, 1975) may indicate something about the function of information under various circumstances; and research on alienation may shed light on the motivation to acquire certain types of information, such as public affairs (Seeman, 1966;Nielson, 1973). Of course, other disciplines (e.g., Hess, 1970, in developmental psychology; Moynihan, 1969, andShostak, 1969, in sociology) offer a variety of approaches of potential value in developing the differences interpretation.…”

The situational public engagement model in a municipal watershed protection program: information seeking, information sharing, and the use of organizational and social media

“…With its roots in economic research conducted in the 1960s and 1970s (Grunig, , ; Markham & Grunig, ), the STP has been identified as one of the first deep theories of public relations to predict publics' passive or active communication behaviors (Aldoory & Sha, ). The STP has been tested in a variety of public relations management situations such as agricultural communication (Fett, ), nonprofit communication (McKeever, ), political campaigns (Hamilton, ), environmental issues (Grunig, ; Major, ), risk communication (Heath, Liao, & Douglas, ; Aldoory & Van Dyke, ; Aldoory, Kim, & Tindall, ), and crisis communication (Aldoory & Grunig, ). The STP contained three major independent variables (problem recognition, constraint recognition, and involvement) and two dependent variables (information seeking and information processing) (Grunig, ).…”