Okay, I won't use the 2.0 word but this is clearly the year of pubic relatios 2.0. , Increasingly, PR research is focusing on social media. Where as last year there were only a handful of papers on blogs and one on wikis, this year there's at least, and generally two papers on social media in each hour.
Yesterday, Don Wright (Boston Univ.) and Michelle Hinson (IPR) updated us on their work on internal bloggers. Interestingly, their research showed not just an increase in awareness of employee blogging but a significant increase (21%) in the percentage of internal bloggers saying positive things about their organization as well as a decline in the % of employees saying negative things. The study doesn't get into whether those employees were encouraged to do so but it should lay to rest some of the fears about employee blogging. There was also a huge shift in perceptions about blogging ethics. In 2005 , nearly half of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that it is ethical to post negative statements about the organization on a blog. Two years later, the onlly 29% thought it was ethical, and nearly half diagreed with the statement. A similar shift in opinion occured when people were asked if they thought it was theical to monitor employee blogs. While in 2005 79% thought employee blog monitoring was ethical, in 2007 only 27% saw it as ethical. While the authors don't draw any sweeping conclusions from this shift, my take on it is that given the attention that main stream media has given blogging, and the enormous increase in those participating in social media has caused a dramatic shift in peoples understaning of the ethics involved.
By far the most interesting conclusion the authors draw is that social media is fundamentally changing the comunications process and ultimately the practice of public relations. Essentially, this is the academic version of David Weinberger's talk at NewComms. In the old days communications started with a sender and a message. Now it is the individual who selects both the media and the message that he/she will receive. What does this ultimately mean for those in the profession?
1. The Influentials of old are gone. Today, anyone can be an influencer.
2. Blogs have enhanced the role of feedback in communications. It used to be weeks before you knew if anyone received a message or heard your news. Now it is instantaneous.
3. Agenda setting theory is changed because the traditional news media no longer set the public agenda.
4. Silence theory is changed becase it provides a viable way for those who hold minority opinions to express themselves.
5. Two way and symmetrical communications, long held up as the ideal, if hard to attain model are now a lot easier, because social media is all about two-way rather than one-way communications.
I have about five other fascinating blog papers I'll be writing about, but it's getting a little hot hear by the pool, so I'm heading back in to absorb some more knowledge.
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