The prevalence of social media in our everyday lives is a phenomenon that has been growing over the past decade. New advancements come out every day, and more and more these technologies have become integrated into our existence. Of course, there are both positives and negatives to social media, but nevertheless it cannot be disputed that social media has had a huge impact on society.
Not only has social media effected society at large, but it has also had some serious implications on the journalism and public relations fields. As discussed in the article from Forbes The Future of Public Relations: Three Forks in the Road by Robert Wynne, before social media became so prevalent, what is called “traditional PR” was the bread and butter of the industry. Now, as social media gains favor as one of the best avenues to spread information, traditional outlets (such as print publications) are going out of style in the field. Although some seasoned PR professionals are worried about what this means for the industry, I don’t believe these changes are something to be feared, rather we just need to adapt to them. Social media platforms serve as a huge advantage to the PR field. Never before has it been so easy and effective to spread key messages to publics. Fear of change is understandable, but I believe if harnessed correctly, the power of social media can improve the PR field.
Although I understood the point Wynne was making regarding how social media has changed the PR field, I was slightly insulted and disagreed heavily with one of the comments he made. He states, “Who wants to live in a world where young hipsters in porkpie hats sipping vanilla spice low-fat lattes at coffee shops in Brooklyn, Austin, or West Hollywood spend all day blogging on their iPhones about their thoughts on politics, the economy and culture set the media agenda for the rest of us?”.
Aside from blatantly stereotyping the younger generations, in my opinion, this line of thinking is flawed and counterproductive to the goals of public relations. In order to succeed in this industry, you need to be aware and up to date with trends, societal changes, and the viewpoints of your publics. Like it or not, those “hipsters” are setting trends, and they are using social media to do so. Instead of working so hard to swim against the current, I think the more the industry leans into utilizing social media and recognizing the benefits it has, the more successful the industry will become.
Although social media has affected the journalism industry in similar ways, I found that the article from Medium, Last Call: The End of the Printed Newspaper by Clay Shirky was much more accepting of utilizing social media and adapting to these changes. Of course, there is an understandable fear for those that work in print news, because as social media becomes more prevalent these mediums are going extinct, which inevitably leads to job loss. I would venture to say that circumstances are worse in the journalism field than the PR field, as it is much easier for PR professionals to adapt to using social media, whereas print newspapers risk going out of business completely. What I appreciated about this article is that unlike the previous one, instead of lamenting and resisting these changes, Shirky seems to accept them for what they are, and actually provides helpful and constructive advice for those in the print news industry on how to adapt to these changes and maintain their livelihood in an industry that is rapidly changing. Throughout the article, Shirky provides multiple different pieces of advice on how individuals can take matters into their own hands and improve their skill sets to fit into this new social media influenced landscape.
Shirky’s take on the influence of social media on to the journalism and PR fields aligned a lot more with my own personal views on the situation. In every industry, change is inevitable, and social media just happens to be a part of this change. In life or in your career, you can chose to either adapt to change or let it consume you, but I think it’s better to keep learning and find new ways to utilize the mediums that are available to us.
For as many people that complain about social media, there are just as many professionals in the industry who hail it for the positive changes it has created. For example, the article 5 Ways Social Media Has Changed Public Relations from 5W Public Relations goes into detail stating how social media has changed the PR field for the better.
Overall, despite the uncertainty I am looking forward to the future of journalism and public relations. With increased use of social media in these fields, there is unlimited potential for how we can improve these fields and come up with new, creative ideas. As a budding PR professional, I am excited to break into the field and use social media to my advantage.
https://www.5wpr.com/new/social-media-public-relations/
Maria's Musings 