The Influence of Written Composition on Audience Perceptions of Social Media Posts Surrounding the Wild Horse and Burro Controversy

Abstract

The central research question that guided this study was: how does the composition of written educational content on Facebook influence public perception of information regarding the management of wild horses and burros? This research was conducted using content analysis to examine the Facebook posts of six organizations communicating about the wild horse and burro controversy and 8,295 comments made by individuals to the organization’s posts. There were five major themes that emerged from the data: organization’s posts, audience discussion of the issue, organization-audience interactions, commenter demographics, and misinformation concerns. These themes provide insight into how organizations and individuals are communicating about the wild horse and burro controversy using social media and illuminate opportunities for further research into social media communications. Recommendations for practice include: supplying necessary information to social media instead of relying on the audience to click links, keeping the perceived-cost and investment of requested audience participation low to encourage activism, and strategic planning regarding the frequency and types of post to maximize audience engagement.