Textbook Chapter 12

Reflections on Textbook Chapter Twelve - New Media and Public Relations

As discussed earlier, the emergence of technology has made the Internet an integral part of our lives. People are generally tapping onto the advantages of the Internet to bring about effective communication and to spread the message to the mass population. In this chapter, it focuses on the dimensions of the new media and how it has affected and brought about advances to the profession of public relations.

One aspect that I agree with this chapter is that with the development of the Internet, information flow is no longer controlled or generated by organisations and gatekeepers. This is because everyone who logs onto the Internet can generate and publish their own information on the website, and express their own identity to other netizens yet at the same time, have the option of remaining anonymous. Therefore, with several users generating information at the same time, it has made communication more complex for organisations especially when information published are fast and instantaneous. It has thus created a challenge for public relations professionals to verify the information generated as the public may question the rationality behind such information that clearly was not produced by the respective organisations. Therefore, even though the Internet has enabled a two-way communication between the public and the organisations, it may result in the lack of credibility.

However, one thing to note about the new media is that it has enabled organisations to achieve public awareness. For instance, the increasing reports of animal cruelty in Singapore has led to the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to set up a facebook page to post pictures and videos of inhumane acts that would increase an awareness that animal cruelty is prevalent in this country. As a result, it has led to an increasing number of volunteers joining the organisation to support the shelter's cause, as well as an increase in the number of volunteers who are willing to a sign a petition to combat animal cruelty in neighbouring countries like Malaysia. Such examples clearly demonstrate that the use of new media applications such as Facebook and Twitter are effective in making a message known such that solutions and help are provided instantaneously. We have to take note that at the end of the day, public relations practitioners aim to help increase public awareness for the respective organisations and such forms of communication have been proven to be effective.