The internet has changed the way people communicate, providing new possibilities for communication. It has enabled an increased connectivity between people by overcoming geographic and social barriers. Communication now occurs through Internet forums such as, email, chat rooms, graphical worlds, discussion groups, and blogs. You can now meet someone without seeing their face, knowing their age or gender; people from all over the world can meet in the one place to discuss a topic of interest twenty-four hours, seven day a week; and you can create a virtual persona alternate to your real world persona. People participate in as few as one of these forums or as many as they want to; they now have multiple social networks, known as virtual communities. “Howard Rheingold defined virtual communities as ‘social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions [using the Internet] long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace� (Flew, 2000: 76-77). Examples of virtual communities range from the infamous Rebecca Blood blog, to the widespread MSN Messenger chat room, to Yahoo discussion groups (for example, Australian PR Network), and finally the most current development of wikis, (for example, The PR Wiki).
Virtual communities differ from traditional communities in that formation does not occur because of common location, but because of a common interest. Such a foundation demonstrates that communities can exist through mediated communication. A theory has thus arisen that virtual communities are providing the means to greater community participation - through gaining information people are able to participate fully as citizens (Hartley, 2002: 231-232). Virtual communities are new arena’s in which people can gain and distribute information. With the Internets rapid growth they are also becoming the dominant arena’s, and thus are having social implications such as becoming the new public sphere. Hartley (2002: 191) defines public sphere as “the arena within which debate occurs; it is the generation of ideas, shared knowledge and the construction of opinion that occurs when people assemble and discuss�. The new public sphere can be defined in terms of a postmodern public sphere – comprising the postmodernity characteristics of multiple truths, a loss of a centred self, a questioning of reality, information technologies, globalization and the rise of the local, niche groups, and a change from production to consumption (Brennan, 2003: Lec10). Virtual communities bring issues of identity formation, multiple public sphericules and participatory privileges all into question, due to their foundation in mediated communication rather than geographic location.
The mediated communication foundation of virtual communities can be seen to be impacting how communication occurs. Factors of change include: the Internets facilitation of interactivity, immediacy, availability, access and collaboration; the digitalization of technologies; and the convergence of businesses and technologies. With these areas changing, communication is revolutionizing into two-way symmetrical communication never possible before (Splichal, 2001: 367-371).
With public relations being the practice of communication, it will be affected by, and a part of, the changes to the communication process. Public relations is “the management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance� (Broom, 2000: 84). Ultimate public relations practice requires boundary-less and interactive communication to achieve the most effective results. Virtual communities and other new media formats offer greater opportunities for more in-depth coverage, for information to be further tailored to individual interests, and for more interactivity and audience participation. These new opportunities of direct communication and interactivity allow public relation people to engage in two-way symmetrical communication, and use communication strategically to achieve quality communication. Today’s new economy has brought forward new communication technologies which will not only overcome barriers found in traditional practice, but will augment the current public relations practice.
Already, current virtual communities can be seen to be having an impact on, and enhancing public relations. For example, The PR Wiki, Global PR Blog Week, and the Australian PR Network, can all be seen taking steps to integrate public relations and new media technologies. They can also be seen to have successfully gained a reasonable group of supporters and contributors towards their endeavours. Unfortunately, this is only a small minority of the public relations industry.
Current studies have been carried out within the communication professions, such as public relations, to see how new media technologies have impacted on them. Within this research major trends were found emphasising that practitioners were failing to use the Internet and new media technologies strategically. Instead, the technologies are simply being used tactically, that is, an e-media release, e-newsletter, email, website and so forth, in addition to their traditional tactical tools. Public relations practitioners have the opportunity to take hold and shape how these Internet forums will affect the communication process, and how they will take future form. Unless they do so in a proactive manner, they will lose contact with their clients and audiences, and the ability to enhance the public relations profession.
It can then be said that an understanding of virtual cultures is important to the public relations industry, because they provide opportunities that will augment public relation communication efforts. As new communication technologies facilitate the postmodern public sphere, public relation practitioners must be proactive towards the up-take and use of these technologies. Such activities can be seen in progress on a small scale, but not to its full potential. Without understanding the principles of how individuals use the internet and how the internet is affecting the structure of communication, use of the internet will be in vain.
Virtual Communities in Public Relations - Social Implications
Virtual Communities in Public Relations – Redefining the Communication Process
Virtual Communities in Public Relations – Opportunities
Virtual Communities in Public Relations – Communities in Progress
Virtual Communities in Public Relations – Major Trends
Virtual Communities in Public Relations Reference List
Sophie Best 23:21, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
