Journalism & Mass Communication Educator
XX(X) 1–17
© AEJMC 2013
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DOI: 10.1177/1077695813506993
jmce.sagepub.com
Article
Subjective Norms as a Driver
of Mass Communication
Students’ Intentions to Adopt
New Media Production
Technologies
Toby M. Hopp
1
Abstract
In this study, the impact of subjective norms on mass communication students’
intentions to adopt new media production technologies was explored. The results
indicated that subjective norms play an instrumental role in explaining behavioral
intentions to adopt new media technologies. Moreover, the data indicated that public
relations students scored slightly lower on the behavioral intentions scale than their
advertising and journalism colleagues. However, no evidence was found that the
relationship between subjective norms and behavioral intentions differs on the basis
of major classification. This study concludes by discussing practical implications for
educators tasked with providing instruction on new media production tools.
Keywords
new media, subjective norms, technological adoption, advertising, journalism, public
relations
Postsecondary mass communication programs are in the midst of an ongoing struggle
to identify best practices as they relate to instruction on the uses and applications of
new media production tools.
1
Clearly, equipping advertising, journalism, and public
relations students with basic new media production competencies has become an
important focus for most, if not all, professional mass communication programs in the
United States.
2
That said, and despite massive and often financially burdensome
changes to their schools’ curriculum, those charged with course design are still
1
University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
Corresponding Author:
Toby M. Hopp, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
Email: hopp@uoregon.edu
506993JMC XX X 10.1177/1077695813506993Journalism & Mass Communication EducatorHopp
research-article 2013
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