THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATION PRACTICE IN NIGERIA: HOW ORGANISATIONS ARE ADAPTING TO DIGITAL CHANGE
Abstract
In an era where the social media has completely revolutionized almost every facet of life, Public Relations (PR) appears to likewise be aligning with the new template provided by the new technology. Unlike what happens in the past, and how PR managers have managed their organisations before now, the current trend offers quite a number of possibilities. From the streams of arguments gathered through plethora of empirical evidences, this paper argues that social media platforms like: whattsapp, Facebook, Twitter, 2go etc, have not only redefined the way PR works, but also the way PR managers carry out their routine duties. For example, the authors of this paper argue that social media have today changed communication culture in PR practice, it has also redefined relationship building between climes and organisations, created more efficient ways of doing research. The paper also argues that the social media has brought about cost effectiveness in way communication campaigns are carried out, unlike what obtains when it was done via traditional media channels. Against the above backdrop therefore, the scholars concludes that since the social media has come to stay, it behooves Nigerian PR professionals to adapt to this technological transformation as quick as possible, as this will in no small measure fast track the Nigerian PR industry on all fronts and more importantly, place her on the same pedestal with other contemporaries around the globe.
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