Has social media discredited the value of public relations professionals?

           Tonight in my New Media and Public Relations graduate class, my teacher raised an interesting question. He essentially asked if social media has helped or hurt the public relations profession. If you are in public relations, you are no stranger to the common issue that some people just do not understand what we do as PR practitioners. By a show of hands, or comments, how many practitioners have experienced this problem?

            And now with the new age of social media, the lines have been blurred even more. Even as a graduate student in public relations, I often find myself defending and explaining what public relations really is. Most of my friends just think I know how to work social media, and that essentially I am getting a degree in Twitter and Facebook. And while yes, I now understand the importance of social media, I think it is important to point out the strategic thinking that is involved in public relations. Yes, we use social media, but strategic thinking means that we know how to connect to the target audience and we understand how the audience reacts, and what needs to be adapted or changed in order to engage with key stakeholders. Being strategic means having dialogue, collecting feedback, and having the power to comprehend the feedback in order to make a change and influence an organization.

            So back to my original question, has social media created this facade for PR practitioners? My answer is yes and no. Yes, because some people will never fully understand public relations nor do they care. And no, because the people who matter in the industry know that social media is only but ONE of the intricate skills needed to make it in such a fast-paced and growing industry. 

Whether you are in public relations or not, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please share!