Social Media Use Among Nonprofit Organizations in Rural Appalachia

Introduction: Social media have changed the landscape of health communication for nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Yet, adoption and use of social media lag among NPOs in rural Appalachia due largely to limited infrastructure development. Methods: Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted in January–March 2018 with 21 NPO representatives in an 8-county region of rural Appalachian Tennessee. NPO representatives were asked questions pertaining to social media use and message content, effective communication strategies, and best practices in social media use. Transcripts were analyzed in April–May 2018 using thematic analysis. Results: The majority of NPOs had a Facebook page and recognized its promise as a communication tool. However, due to resource constraints, most NPOs used social media as a secondary communication strategy to complement traditional approaches. In terms of messaging, NPOs used social media primarily to share information and solicit donations or volunteers. Representatives identified several obstacles to social media use among NPOs in the region. These included limited organizational resources, community infrastructure, and household resources. Implications: Social media are inexpensive communication tools that NPOs in rural Appalachia can use to expand their digital footprint into hard-to-reach populations. Therefore, eliminating the digital divide across the U.S. is an important step toward enhancing rural NPOs’ capacity to serve their communities well. Opportunities for NPO staff to access low-cost professional development and training in the use of social media, specifically for social marketing purposes, are also essential

Finding a Disappearing Nontimber Forest Resource: Using Grounded Visualization to Explore Urbanization Impacts on Sweetgrass Basketmaking in Greater Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

Despite growing interest in urbanization and its social and ecological impacts on formerly rural areas, empirical research remains limited. Extant studies largely focus either on issues of social exclusion and enclosure or ecological change. This article uses the case of sweetgrass basketmaking in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, to explore the implications of urbanization, including gentrification, for the distribution and accessibility of sweetgrass, an economically important nontimber forest product (NTFP) for historically African American communities, in this rapidly growing area. We explore the usefulness of grounded visualization for research efforts that are examining the existence of fringe ecologies associated with NTFP. Our findings highlight the importance of integrated qualitative and quantitative analyses for revealing the complex social and ecological changes that accompany both urbanization and rural gentrification

Health Communication Strategies Among Non-Profit Organizations in Appalachia

Social media has several advantages over more traditional forms of mass communication, but many non-profit organizations (NPOs) are underutilizing social media as a communication platform. There is limited research on social media use among NPOs in rural Appalachia. The current study fills this gap in the literature by examining social media use among NPOs in rural Appalachian Tennessee. We conducted 20 semi-structured phone interviews with NPO representatives (President, CEO, Executive Directors) in an 8-county region of Appalachian Tennessee. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Thematic analysis indicated that rurality, organizational capacity, messaging, and social media as a secondary communication strategy were important themes. Fiscal, personnel, and time constraints were limiting factors in terms of NPOs ability to use social media. NPOs used social media primarily to share information with their target audience. While acknowledged as an important feature of social media, NPOs were less likely to use social media to advocate, engage, or mobilize community support. Further data collection is ongoing to confirm these findings and to identify best practices. NPOs in rural Appalachia can use these findings to enhance their communication strategies