Exploring Social Media Utilization among Farmer Producer Organization Members in Jharkhand, India

Abstract

The rapid growth of digital technologies has transformed agricultural communication, with social media emerging as an important medium for information exchange, networking and knowledge dissemination. This study was conducted to analyse the usage patterns of social media among Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) members in Jharkhand, focusing on the purposes, frequency and timing of use across different platforms. A total of 180 respondents were selected from six FPOs across three agro-climatic zones of the state using simple random sampling. Data were collected with a structured interview schedule and analysed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that WhatsApp and YouTube were universally used on a daily basis (100%), serving as the primary tools for communication, information sharing and agricultural skill development. YouTube was most preferred for information (96.7%) and entertainment (95.0%), while WhatsApp dominated in networking (40.0%) and information dissemination (92.8%). Other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter played marginal roles, mostly for entertainment purposes, whereas LinkedIn and Messenger had negligible use. Evening and night hours (6:01–10:00 PM) emerged as the most common time for social media engagement. Despite widespread adoption, business and marketing applications of social media remained underutilised. The findings underscore the potential of social media as a tool for strengthening farmer collectivisation and digital extension. However, targeted interventions are needed to enhance digital literacy, promote agri-business applications and develop localised content to fully harness its benefits. The study concludes that while social media has become integral to the lives of FPO members, its transformative potential in empowering farmers and improving market linkages remains largely untapped.