Grunig
Paradigms of global public relations in an age of digitalisation
James E. Grunig, University of Maryland
Abstract
Although the attention being paid to the new digital media may be the latest fad in public relations, these new media have the potential to make the profession more global, strategic, two-way and interactive, symmetrical or dialogical, and socially responsible.
However, many practitioners are using the new media in the same ways they used the old—as a means of dumping messages on the general population rather than as a strategic means of interacting with publics and bringing information from the environment into organisational decision-making. For public relations to fully use digital media, practitioners and scholars must reinstitutionalise public relations as a behavioural, strategic management paradigm rather than as a symbolic, interpretive paradigm. This article provides a model of strategic public relations and offers suggestions for the use of digital media in each phase of this model.
Introduction
Public relations has long been a professional practice where fads are common and conceptualisation of faddish concepts is weak or nonexistent. Public relations fads have focused on such concepts as images, perceptions, messaging, reputation, brands, integrated marketing communication, return on investment
(ROI),
strategic communication, and corporate social responsibility projects. Most practitioners following these fads have skill sets that are limited to media and media relations, and they fervently believe that publicity in traditional media will produce the faddish outcome currently in vogue. Thus, it is not surprising that so many public relations
practitioners view the new digital social media as a revolutionary force that changes the way they think and upsets the way they practise public relations.
Fads change quickly, however, and public relations practitioners have rapidly embraced
James E. Grunig, University of Maryland
Abstract
Although the attention being paid to the new digital media may be the latest fad in public relations, these new media have the potential to make the profession more global, strategic, two-way and interactive, symmetrical or dialogical, and socially responsible.
However, many practitioners are using the new media in the same ways they used the old—as a means of dumping messages on the general population rather than as a strategic means of interacting with publics and bringing information from the environment into organisational decision-making. For public relations to fully use digital media, practitioners and scholars must reinstitutionalise public relations as a behavioural, strategic management paradigm rather than as a symbolic, interpretive paradigm. This article provides a model of strategic public relations and offers suggestions for the use of digital media in each phase of this model.
Introduction
Public relations has long been a professional practice where fads are common and conceptualisation of faddish concepts is weak or nonexistent. Public relations fads have focused on such concepts as images, perceptions, messaging, reputation, brands, integrated marketing communication, return on investment
(ROI),
strategic communication, and corporate social responsibility projects. Most practitioners following these fads have skill sets that are limited to media and media relations, and they fervently believe that publicity in traditional media will produce the faddish outcome currently in vogue. Thus, it is not surprising that so many public relations
practitioners view the new digital social media as a revolutionary force that changes the way they think and upsets the way they practise public relations.
Fads change quickly, however, and public relations practitioners have rapidly embraced
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