Organizational Communication Commons^™

Changes In The Information Uses And Gratifications Of Virtual Communications For Kansas State Research And Extension Agents During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katie E. Messerla, Katherine J. Starzec, Brandie Disberger, Elaine Johannes

Journal of Applied Communications

Kansas State Research and Extension (KSRE) staff have experienced many changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic such as remote work requirements and technology adaptations. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in the use of virtual communications used by K-State Research and Extension agents’ internal communications as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was guided by uses and gratifications theory to understand Extension agents’ intensity of use of virtual communications channels for internal communications and the effectiveness of virtual communication channels for workplace communication needs. Through a quantitative Qualtrics survey (n = 99) with a …