Social Media in Public Relations
The New Role of Social Media in Public Relations
Brooke Tabaka
Kent State University
In today’s world, social media is becoming an increasingly important part of any business’s platform. Whether it is blogging, Facebook, or Twitter, many companies are starting to realize the importance and the advantages of these various tools. However, social media is becoming particularly important in Public Relations. A recent survey found that 35 percent of public relations professionals are spending at least 25 percent of their average workday with these new media (Wright, 2012). As a future public relations professional, I believe that social media is the future of this field. In this paper, I will define the key concepts, argue the importance of social media in my future career, discuss how greater knowledge in this area will benefit me as I enter the workplace, and finally, discuss specific courses I plan on taking to help me gain more knowledge. As social media continues to expand and its uses continue to change, so does the actual definition of social media. On page six of a journal article, the authors say that the most practical definition for its use in public relations is that “social media are the platforms that enable the interactive web by engaging users to participate in, comment on and create content as means of communicating with their social graph, other users and the public,” (Dodd & Campbell, 2011). There are various social media tools that professionals use within their company for different purposes. Social media tools include social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as blogs, podcasts, message boards and online videos (Taylor & Kent, 2010). Twitter, another social media tool, is gaining even more popularity than Facebook and blogs as time goes on. What differentiates social media tools from traditional media types is that social media technologies give anyone with access to a computer or a phone the ability to
Brooke Tabaka
Kent State University
In today’s world, social media is becoming an increasingly important part of any business’s platform. Whether it is blogging, Facebook, or Twitter, many companies are starting to realize the importance and the advantages of these various tools. However, social media is becoming particularly important in Public Relations. A recent survey found that 35 percent of public relations professionals are spending at least 25 percent of their average workday with these new media (Wright, 2012). As a future public relations professional, I believe that social media is the future of this field. In this paper, I will define the key concepts, argue the importance of social media in my future career, discuss how greater knowledge in this area will benefit me as I enter the workplace, and finally, discuss specific courses I plan on taking to help me gain more knowledge. As social media continues to expand and its uses continue to change, so does the actual definition of social media. On page six of a journal article, the authors say that the most practical definition for its use in public relations is that “social media are the platforms that enable the interactive web by engaging users to participate in, comment on and create content as means of communicating with their social graph, other users and the public,” (Dodd & Campbell, 2011). There are various social media tools that professionals use within their company for different purposes. Social media tools include social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as blogs, podcasts, message boards and online videos (Taylor & Kent, 2010). Twitter, another social media tool, is gaining even more popularity than Facebook and blogs as time goes on. What differentiates social media tools from traditional media types is that social media technologies give anyone with access to a computer or a phone the ability to
References: Bridgen, L. (2011). Emotional labour and the pursuit of the personal brand: Public relations practitioners ' use of social media. Journal of Media Practice, 12(1), 61-76. doi:10.1386/jmpr.12.1.61_1 Dodd, M. D., & Campbell, S. B. (2011). A Strategic Framework for Targeting Generation Y via Social Media: Public relations results and implications. Conference Papers -- International Communication Association, 1-25. Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2010). Anticipatory socialization in the use of social media in public relations: A content analysis of PRSA 's public relations tactics. Public Relations Review, 36(3), 207-214. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.04.012 Waters, R. D., & Tindall, N. J. (2010). Media Catching and the Journalist- Public Relations Practitioner Relationship: How social media are changing the practice of media relations. Journal Of Public Relations Research, 22(3), 241-264. Wright, D. K. (2012). Examining how Social and Emerging Media Have Been Used in Public Relations Between 2006 and 2012: A longitudinal analysis. The Public Relations Review, 5(2), 1-40.