Digital divergence: How online media and techno-stress shape communication competencies across higher education roles

บทคัดย่อ

This study aimed to explore the utilization of online media and its impact
on techno-stress and communication competence among higher education
personnel, including students, faculties, institutional administrators and staff.
Drawing from a sample of 2,500 respondents across Thailand, our findings
revealed a significant reliance on platforms like Facebook, Line, and Zoom
for academic tasks. The study identified a moderate level of techno-stress,
with techno-insecurity and techno-uncertainty being the most pronounced
stressors. Despite these challenges, higher education personnel reported high
communication competence, particularly in content and knowledge creation and
collaboration aspects. Notably, the impact of techno-stress varied among groups,
with students and institutional administrator showing increased communication
competence by 1.8 percent and 10.2 percent respectively, while instructor and
staff groups indicated prediction percentages of 1.3 percent and 6.9 percent.
The data also reveal that the relationship between the independent variables
and the dependent variable is predominantly positive if present. Online media
usage positively impacts communication competence across all these groups.
In contrast, techno-stress positively influences the communication competence
of students and institutional administrator only. The structural model confirmed
that online media usage and techno-stress collectively accounted for 2.7 percent
of the variance in communication competence. This influence, though modest,
underscores the intricate interplay between technology and communication
skills in academia and suggests the need for targeted interventions and support
mechanisms for different groups within the higher education sector.