PR and Social Media

With technological advancements happening continuously throughout the world it is understandable that people may find it rather hard to keep up to date with such progression let alone be technologically aware of how to approach such developments. As the need to be socially and technologically aware increases I question whether those within PR and those applying for new roles within PR are capable of handling these technological pressures that surround them? How easy is it to tweet, do you ‘Like’ Facebook? It is terms like these that have made it into our every day vocabulary but does everyone know what you are talking about? Despite Facebook having over 500million users worldwide and Twitter being the new celebrity craze there are a vast majority of society who have no clue how this sort of cyber community works. Perhaps for the under 25s this cyber world and chat comes naturally however perhaps for an older member of the PR community this social networking idea is slightly alien. Do they fail to see the importance to their job or are they just of an era that have yet to become internet aware? Either way it is certainly an area that they must improve upon as social media envelopes the world.

In PRweek (13th January 2010) there is an article discussing the increased importance of PR agents expanding their knowledge with regards to social medias role in PR. It is highlighted within this article the lack of social media that is registered on CVs. Perhaps this is done because the applicant is really more used to using sites like Facebook and Twitter to talk about themselves and the antics that they get up to. They have failed to see how it can be of use to those in the PR world, can lead to debates and highlight general knowledge. As is highlighted within the PRweek article employers want to see a level of social media knowledge, they will not regard you as a slacker, someone playing on the computer in company time, but as proactive and driven in this new technologically advanced world.

A prime reason for my enrolment in my Digital Media class was that I was under the impression I was rather computer literate...this notion was rapidly altered after my first day. If it wasn’t for the information I have received in this class I too would be unaware of the importance of highlighting social media and blog use on my CV. If I was asked in an interview whether I used Facebook etc I would have previously been quick to state only recreationally, unbeknownst to me that that was the wrong kind of answer. For those working in PR who don’t realise the importance of social media perhaps they would benefit to undertake the same sort of media training course.