Many would argue that the traditional methods of public relations are fast becoming out-dated with the new media revolution.
The internet holds a wealth of possibilities when it comes to public relations, some of which PR professionals are not too keen on. The idea of control is one that is always at the forefront of a PR practitioners mind. New media can be viewed as the opposite of control - once something is out there on the ‘world wide web’, its limits are endless. At that point all control is lost.
New media enables anyone, anywhere, at whatever time to pass judgment on anything, including the work of PR. This is a new concept when it comes to PR. Your reputation lies in the hands of the thousands of new media consumers. No wonder this strikes fear into the very core of public relations professionals.
The way in which public relations traditionally functioned is undergoing change at a rapid pace. Communication is no longer operating on a one-way system. It is now conversational. This is best described by Richard Denninson, Senior Manager of Social Media at British Telecom; “Social media is about participation.”
Arthur L Jue et al in their book Social Media at Work, p4 explain that “participation can take the form of simply viewing relevant information that was simply hidden from view.” Public relations is being forced to shift from its ‘invisible’ nature to a more transparent model.
Participants of social media, as Arthur L Jue explains, can take the “form of communicating, collaborating, and connecting with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Its all about interactions between people-individuals and groups-and the great potential to share more, share more and accomplish more than our grandparents could ever dream possible” -p5.
In this modern world “if you want your voice to be heard above the ‘clamor’, you have to learn how to manage your message in a more effective way than ever before. The days of the simple press release and nothing else are numbered.” - Peter Hobday, Managing the Message, p41.
Is PR as a profession ready to accept and deal with this transformation? It seems that realistically this isn’t a choice. As newspapers, magazines and news moved from traditional media to online, PR has no choice but to move with it or simply get left behind.
Links
Social Media Revolution; Famous video by Eric Qualman 2009
Exploring Social Media in PR; Engaging webcast by Nisha Pawar 2010
The Wide Network; Traditional Media Breakdown - what’s in this new media revolution for us?
BBC News; Talkin ‘bout a media revolution
