Public Relations and the Internet:
An Exploratory Study Into How the Internet Affects Public Relations
January, 2000
Abstract
This dissertation explores the issues that the Internet presents to the public relations profession. It raises the question if the Internet can be considered a facilitator of the two-way symmetrical model of public relations, suggests indicators of best practice on the Internet and future avenues of research.The research is based on a literary review and semi-structured qualitative interviews with four public relations consultants in Iceland and in the UK and one tutor with the Manchester Metropolitan University.
The Internet presents public relations practitioners and managers with an increasingly volatile environment where consumers and activists are empowered. At the same time public relations practitioners and managers seem ill prepared to face up to the challenge of the Internet. The Internet itself seems not to be a sufficient prerequisite for the practice of two-way symmetrical public relations. Factors such as the worldviews of management and public relations practitioners, the nature of the business of each organisation and the power of other stakeholders in the stakeholder network remain important.
The Internet is beset with communications clutter. Successful online communication seem to require information-rich and dynamic web sites, contribution to online communities and personalised user experience.
Avenues of research include the possibility of symmetrical public relations on the Internet, the issue of gaining trust online, involvement of public relations practitioners in online communications and crisis and issues management on the Internet.
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