The influence of social media in building organisational relationships in the public relations industry in South Africa

Abstract

Social media has created a new era of global communication. It is reshaping communication in organisations, thereby compeling many to rethink their communication strategies. In today's technologically driven era, organisations face a multitude of responsibilities and challenges, one of which is the participatory nature of social media which requires a high level of responsiveness. Despite the global social media revolution, not all public relations practitioners in organisations use social media to its fullest potential, regardless of the advantages it may offer. This case study on a leading public relations and communications body in South Africa is used to analyse how social media could be used to maintain effective organisational communication. An interpretative, qualitative approach is employed. Data is gathered through interviews and thematic analysis enabled the categorisation of data into themes. Findings reveal a poor level of engagement on social media platforms and recommends the creation of online discussion forums, the reviewing and monitoring social media platforms, enabling the younger generation of public relations practitioners to spearhead social media activity, and the training and development of practitioners to instil confidence and understanding of social media use.