The Internet and Public Relations: Investigating Practitioners' Roles and World Wide Web Use

Abstract

A national e-mail survey of public relations practitioners investigated how use of the World Wide Web and practitioners' roles and status are linked. Cluster analysis partially replicated and refined Leichty and Springston's 1996 roles typology, further challenging the traditional manager-technician dichotomy that has driven twenty-five years of roles research. Managers used the Web more than technicians for research and evaluation and more than internals for issues communication. Managers and internals use the Web more than technicians for productivity and efficiency. In general, practitioners are no longer laggards in new technology, and women have caught up with men in use of new technology, such as the Web.

Blog power: Examining the effects of practitioner blog use on power in public relations

“…The overall response rate was 14% (N = 132), with 87 practitioners responding in the first wave and 44 in the second. This response rate is similar to other Web surveys (Porter & Whitcomb, 2003), those conducted on public relations practitioners (Porter & Sallot, 2003, and online surveys of public relations students (Sha & Toth, 2005).…”

Does social media usage matter? An analysis of online practices and digital media perceptions of communication practitioners in Europe

“…Regarding stakeholders, social media has changed the landscape for communications and empowered publics, who are able to post, share and republish information easily and quickly (Guth & Marsh, 2011;Kent, 2008;Porter, Sweetser, & Chung, 2009;Segev, Villar, & Fiske, 2012;Smith, 2011). This forces organizations to build and maintain positive relationships with active consumers as well as with bloggers, community managers and other gatekeepers on the social web.…”

Gender and ICT: around the gender digital divide

“…En los estudios que tal preocupación ha producido, se hace cada vez más evidente que la brecha digital de género no seguirá creciendo alrededor del mayor o menor uso de la tecnología; de hecho en los países occidentalizados las jóvenes y las mujeres son usuarias de las TIC en cifras cada vez más parecidas, si no superiores, a las de chicos y hombres (Booth, Goodman y Kirkup, 2010;Brynin, 2006;Porter y Sallot, 2003). Sin embargo, son cada vez más los estudios que nos invitan a considerar la brecha digital de género como un problema de mayor calado que el simple acceso a y uso de las TIC o de desarrollo de habilidades informáticas o navegadoras básicas.…”