In Stuart Elliott’s New York Times article “Redefining Public Relations in the Age of Social Media”, he discusses how the Public Relations Society of America had decided to develop a new definition for Public Relations that consider elements of the 21st century. In it, he states that the current definition, while vague, is “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.”
The problem with this definition is that it does not account for the biggest change in public relations. It has been for quite some time that all messages about a company came from the top down where senior executives were able to control most of the conversation content. The internet has changed this. The internet has brought several outlets for the public to partake in this conversation without the company being able to control the message. As long as it is under 140 characters, people can tweet their comments. If you don’t like how a company handles a certain situation, create a Facebook page. Have a lot to say, create a blog and let the entire world hear your thoughts. As long as you have access to the internet, stakeholders are free to discuss their gripes or hopefully approval of a company.
Today we live in a world were public relations is no longer just about how a company chooses to portray itself, but also how others are perceiving and spreading it. Therefore, PR needs to be defined more as a conversation between a company and its stakeholders. If I had to come up with a definition for PR, it would be something like “Public Relations manages the conversation between organizations and their stakeholders in an ethical manner so that results are mutually beneficial.” I believe that this definition improves upon the current definition because it incorporates the opinion of the stakeholders. Since they are able to control some of what is said about your company, you need to make sure that an open communication pathway is maintained. This way you can improve your company by addressing the concerns of both the company and those they are serving.
You will notice that in my definition I have included the phrase “in an ethical manner,” however, this can also be interpreted as vague. Even if everyone fallows the same codes of ethics, they are open to interpretation. What I may consider to be the ethical approach to a situation, you may not and have a completely different opinion. Since ethics is such a gray area, there are no black and white answers. Some implications of having an open communication pathway is you open the door to negative comments. This feedback is important and you have to take the criticism respectfully. You cannot silent the voice of your consumer. Instead, it is important to be mutually respectful so that the line of communication can result in mutually beneficial outcomes.
I believe that the recent PR ethical breach that is the most problematic was Facebook’s smear campaign. As I just said, it is important that as PR representatives we are first and foremost respectful. Smear campaigns and dishonesty do nothing for the company or the stakeholders. In the end, by using such tactics, you only end up hurting yourself. I agree with Keith Trivitt said it best when he says that “smear campaigns and unethical nondisclosure of clients and or clients’ intentions are most certainly not an integral part of PR." When these plan often backfire, you have to wonder, is it even worth it? And more times than not, the answer is no.
PRSA and the FTC are monitoring various public relations practices in order to improve the field when it comes to ethics. I believe that this is a good idea especially when it comes to maintaining ethical standards in the digital age. Anyone can have a voice now, but this also means that there is no face behind that voice. People will be more willing to say and do things because it does not necessarily get traced back to them. Things I might not do in person, I may feel more comfortable to do over the internet. I am not sure what initiatives could be used to improve ethical standards but I do believe that everyone has the ability to make proper ethical decision. If everyone just used their heads and through the situation through completely, there might not be as many mishaps.
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