Digital Media and Strategic Communication

For the purpose of this essay, new or social media can be defined as the participatory online media that create and spread information in a democratic and collaborative manner. Social media uses technological tools and applications that enable people to connect and share opinions, news, and knowledge. A few prominent examples of social media applications are Wikipedia (reference), MySpace and Facebook (social networking), YouTube (video sharing), Second Life (virtual reality), Digg (news sharing), Flickr (photo sharing) and Sharenow (media sharing). These sites typically use applications such as blogs, micro-blogging, message boards, podcasts, and wikis to allow users to interact in a quick, collaborative and efficient manner.

With the emergence of the new social media the nature of communication has been changed. This change has led to alteration of the relationship between an organization and its publics or stakeholders. Smith, Kearns and Fine (Power to the Edges: Trends and Opportunities in Online Civic Engagement, 2005) argue that the future belongs to the organizations that can effectively align online and offline communication strategies in their activities. Internet revolution enabled organizations to communicate cheaply, quickly and effectively with thousands of people. Campaign developments, communications, field management and fundraising are the fields that are greatly affected by the online connectivity that reshaped all aspects of community life.

The scholars say that thanks to the Internet and its tools, networks of individuals,

completely independent of organizations, can initiate and carry out civic engagement

campaigns. The traditional communication model implied dissemination of information

from one dominant source. Now we have a dialogical model, without any higher controlling

instance. Everyone is equal and involved in the message creation in this democratic

process. There are dozens of new tools and vehicles within the renewed Web that can be

helpful in all business and community activities.

Smith, Kearns and Fine also argue that new models of civic engagement imply

building new organizational cultures. Organizations should work on establishing and

maintaining the connectivity. They should also “push power to the edges”, meaning increasing individual’s power to engage actively in campaigns. Instead of pulling people into membership, organizations need to push skills, tools and resources out to communities (both online and offline).

Merwe, Pitt and Abratt (Stakeholder Strength: PR Survival Strategies in the Internet

Age, 2005) argue that the Internet has empowered stakeholders to an unprecedented degree. This is the logical consequence of the changed nature of conversations between the organization and its stakeholders. The conversations are now more and more taking place online. The scholars describe this new communication mode as a two-way dialogic symmetrical model that can occur regardless of the organization’s approval. Therefore it is better that companies participate in these conversations and try to capitalize on it.

The scholars say that thanks to the Internet, stakeholders such as employees, customers, investors, and suppliers have access to accurate, timely and unbiased information about company. Stakeholders are now able to instantly communicate with each in completely new ways. Most companies promote word-of-mouth communication through their Web sites. There are also many types of software that can facilitate these types of networks and conversations between company and its stakeholders. For example, an organization can respond to questions and receive immediate feedback from its customers. Companies can also organize online stakeholder meetings, without the possibility to influence or control them in any way. On the other hand, employees, for instance, can collaborate online instead of joining unions. These connected groups are gaining more power. They can align and heighten their awareness of a firm’s shortcomings. Dissatisfied customers or former employees can even set up their own Web site (sometimes called “spoof or hate sites”) and spread the word about the problems they experienced with the company. Therefore, in the era of the Internet, organizations need to be

concerned with how they manage their image and how they maintain their relationships in

cyberspace.

These scholarly articles are focused on the concept of non-traditional media tools and their application in the corporate communication field. The scholars argue that the Internet and the growing development of social media features have opened new possibilities in all fields, especially in the area of corporate communications. New technologies will become the framework on which the future of corporate communication is built. For now, public relations professionals and organizations alike must consider that mastering this medium and understanding its implications for the future of public relations and corporate management will be the key to business success in the new century.

The development of the Web 2.0 tools and applications has opened new possibilities for the way how organizations create and maintain relationships with their key stakeholders. The old model of communication was limiting in a way that organizations acted as a dominant source of information for its publics. However today, organizations-stakeholders relationships are being developed in the form of genuine conversation between equals. Organizations should try to establish honest and almost personal relationship with every member of its stakeholders. They should try to find both offline and online gathering places of their stakeholders and than become involved in conversations with them. This can be done by creating both external and internal (employees’) blogs, participating in social networking hubs, getting involved in disscusion boards and community forums, etc.

Companies cannot be ready to face these challenges unless they understand and adjust to