An Evaluation of Impact of Social Media on Information Management in Public Relations Practice

This paper is one of the on-going efforts to explore the use of social media in public relations practice. It examines the impact of social media on information management of Public Relations Practitioners. Opinions of 225 members of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations were used to evaluate the issues/thrust of the paper. Findings show that the use of facebook by Public Relations Practitioners ranked first, followed by twitter, blogs, MySpace, etc. Social media has positively impacted information management in terms of access, processing, speed of delivery/dissemination and flow of information in a multi-directional paradigm compared to unidirectional flow that characterize the traditional mainstream media practices or landscape. The social media tools have facilitated relational and dialogic communications which are key components of dialogic theory of public relations management. Also the social media tools have enhanced the gatekeeping role of Public Relations Practitioners. This study has also lay credence to the emerging notion that digital media has redefined gatekeeping theory. The paper concludes that the imperative of information management hinge on the philosophy of creating and sustaining mutual understanding, and knowledge based on two-way symmetric communication backed by truth, transparency, honesty and respect. More importantly, social media offers Public Relations Professionals the best access to information and better platforms for instantaneous information delivery and communication.