Lecture 2 - PR and New Media

In the second lecture of our Public Relations theory class we discussed the rise of new media and it's effect on PR. It was pretty interesting to realize that just because there has been an increase in the types of new mediums (blogs, podcasts, social networking sites etc) available to PR professionals, it doesn't mean that PR techniques or way of PR practice has changed.

However the lecture was really interesting, in that it got me thinking about ways in which new media has changed or altered the way in which Public Relations is practiced or how it operates.

I was researching the topic when I found this study, New Media, New Influencers and Implications for Public Relations done by the Society of New Communications Research. The study looks at the impact new media is having on Public Relations and looks at real actual Public Relations campaigns carried out with the use of new media.

What really struck me however was this quote;

"Marketers and public relations professionals today are confronted with an astounding array of new communications channels. Internet-based social media tools like blogs, podcasts, online video and social networks are giving voice to the opinions of millions of consumers.... Marketers and public relations professionals are responding to these forces with a mixture of excitement, fear and fascination. They're alarmed at the prospect of ceding control of their messages to a community of unknowns. Yet at the same time they're excited about the prospect of leveraging these same tools to speak directly to their constituents without the involvement of media intermediaries."

I think what this study notes is true. As opposed to traditional media which followed the hypodermic needle formula with one way communication, new media allows for two communications, a back and forth. With the rise of new media, consumers or receivers of our PR messages have the chance to answer back to state their opinion to what we are telling them and be active rather than passive in this process. I find this really interesting about New Media PR, that our audiences can talk back to us letting us know right away whether or messages speak to them and whether our strategies work. That is definitely an interesting development on regards to new media and PR.

Here is the link to the study:
http://sncr.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/new-influencers-study.pdf

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