Communication Technology and New Media Commons^™

Testing The Impact Of Animating Infographics On Consumer Trust And Attitude When Communicating About Genetic Modification, Alexa J. Lamm, Kristin Gibson, Jessica Holt, Kevan Lamm, Jason D. Ellis Ph.D., Joy N. Rumble

Journal of Applied Communications

Scientific innovation provides benefits to society but also fosters suspicion and distrust. The unknown of scientific innovations in agriculture has yielded a strained relationship between consumers and farmers, creating little to no public support for solutions to agricultural issues. The relationship between public trust and agricultural innovation is further strained when discussing genetic modification (GM) science and food. Informational graphics are an increasingly popular communication technique that may effectively communicate GM science to consumers. This study examined, through a experimental design using two treatments and a control, if static or animated infographics sharing current societal perceptions of GM science in …