1. Public Relations Literacy & Challenges from the Online Environment Sherry J. Holladay, Ph.D. W. Timothy Coombs, Ph.D. University of Central Florida, USA Presented to the Department of Communication, Organizational Communication & Public Relations University of Jyväskylä

2. Public Relations Literacy & Challenges from the Online Environment Overview What is PR literacy? Importance for consumers Challenges of social media Importance for the public relations industry Questions & Discussion

3. Media Literacy: The Foundation of Public Relations Literacy Media literacycritical consumers –Education programs designed to affect critical thinking & consumption Examples: What influences media content? How are corporate & government interests reflected in media? What factors influence my interpretations of content? How does content affect me? What are my media consumption habits?

4. PR Literacy: “the ability to identify, analyze, & evaluate public relations messages” (Coombs & Holladay, p. 10, 2010) Knowledge Skills Motivation

5. Why PR Literacy? PR literacy is necessary because of the lack of transparency –Globalization –Online Environment Empowers public for consumption & creation/mobilization/resistance Leads to the more ethical practice of PR

6. PR Literacy: Deciphering Intentions --- & Determining Responses Who is saying what through which channels to whom to create what effects? (Lasswell, 1948) –Source –Message content –Media selection –Receiver –Intended purpose; desired reactions –How should I respond?

7. Fundamental questions encourage the critical evaluation of public relations: (Coombs & Holladay, 2010) 1.Who created the public relations action/message? –Exactly who is the source? –Credibility? –Affiliations? –Bias?

8. Fundamental questions - continued 2. Why did they create the public relations action/message? –Motivations & values –Economic & political interests –Ideological & value concerns –What do they want the audience to do?

9. Fundamental questions - continued 3. Who is the intended audience for the public relations action/message? –Who are they trying to reach? –Are they trying to influence me?

10. Fundamental questions - continued 4. What media characteristics limit transparency? –Why did they select particular media? –How might media choice conceal message sources & interests? (e.g., flogs, paid bloggers, front groups, VNRs) –Advantages & disadvantages of the media for the source? –Advantages & disadvantages of the media for the receivers?

11. Fundamental questions - continued 5. How do I evaluate the content of the message? –What are their arguments? Sound reasoning? –What evidence is offered? –How could I verify what they say?

12. Fundamental questions - continued 6. Who will gain or lose from the public relations action/message? 7. Whose voices are represented & absent from the public relations action/message? –Who will benefit? –Who might suffer?

13. Fundamental questions - continued 8. How should this message influence me? –Did this influence my attitudes? Knowledge? –Should this influence my behavior? –What should I do? Should I comply? Should I ignore? Should I actively resist/mobilize?

14. Encouraging PR Literacy…  Benefits consumers of PR actions/messages  Benefits the PR industry

15. Benefits to the PR Industry Acknowledges PR’s advocacy functions Promotes discussion of ethics Encourages critical reflection & self-policing Values transparency Combats criticisms Legitimizes the profession Provides reputational benefits Shares responsibility with constituents

16. Benefits to Consumers Develops Skill & Knowledge base Self–efficacy Motivation to be critical of PR messages Learn to practice PR to gain access to others & effect change

17. Social Media Opportunities for Citizen Activists Mobilization –Multiple channels –Multiple media (sight & sound) –Speed –Reach (potential)

18. The Challenge of Social Media Popularity & growing importance Hidden influencePotential for abuse Lack of regulation & laws

19. Internet & Social Media Create unique challenges for PR literacy Wider array of “hidden” influences Medium itself can conceal identity

20. Hidden Concerns Online Editing of Wikipedia entries Pay/free gifts bloggers and micro- bloggers –Blogging regulation now in US Favorable comments in social networks Favorable material on content sharing sites

21. Specific Examples Edelman flogging for Wal-mart Whole Foods CEO online persona Burger King executive using daughter’s e-mail account Diebolt & Wal-Mart editing Wikipedia entries

22. Wikipedia: Wal-Mart As with many US retailers, Wal-Mart experiences a high rate of employee turnover (approximately 50% of employees leave every year, according to the company). Wages at Wal-Mart are about 20% less than at other retail stores. Founder [[Sam Walton]] once argued that his company should be exempt from the [[minimum wage]]. (Palast, 121).

23. Wikipedia: Wal-Mart As with many US retailers, Wal-Mart experiences a high rate of employee turnover (approximately 50% of employees leave every year, according to the company). The average wage at Wal-Mart is almost double the federal minimum wage (Wal-Mart). However, founder [[Sam Walton]] once argued that his company should be exempt from the [[minimum wage]]. (Palast, 121).

24. Flogs: Fake blogs Sony created a fake “All I Want for Christmas” blog about a boy who only wanted a PSP for Christmas. McDonald’s created a blog called “4Railways” where “someone” wrote about their desire to get all four railway cards in the McDonald’s monopoly game.

25. McDonald’s As part of the promotion, McDonald's created a pair of blogs -- one inside a site that kept a running tally of the game's winners that was allegedly written by the 2004 million-dollar winner Marcia Schroeder, & another that claimed to be the creation of self-described "simple guy" "Stanley Smith," a doughy security guard from Joliet. In his profile, he wrote: "I have yet to complete one of my quests in life, winning the McDonald's Monopoly Game grand prize."

26. Sony (from Consumerist) We're a day late and a dollar short to this story, but the forces of the Internet outed a marketing company working for Sony for creating fake PSP blog. The ps3do site says it's written by "Charlie" who wants to get the parents of his friend, "Jeremy," to buy "Jeremy" a PSP for Christmas. The domain name is registered to the Zipatoni marketing company.

27. Challenges for PR Literacy Critical evaluation of individual efforts Limited material for research (what are reliable cues?) –Public history of posts Undue skepticism of positive comments Greater reliance on watchdog groups to expose Potential for “front individuals”

28. Laws The UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations' social media guidelines cite the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and state that both astroturfing & fake blogs are not permitted

29. Pressure on PR Industry Promote transparency & ethics –Build credibility through actions Provide markers for PR literacy –Require paid posts to state connection –Employees & consultants should always include job title & affiliation on posts –State when editing a wiki

30. PR Literacy “To be public relations literate, a person must be able to identify when public relations is being utilized, be aware public relations does impact society and individuals, have frameworks for analyzing public relations efforts, and apply critical thinking skills to their evaluation” (Coombs & Holladay, 2010, p. 312)

31. Concluding Thoughts on PR Literacy Need to integrate into education programs Benefits to the PR Industry Benefits to Society –Transparency –Critical thinking –Empowerment Challenges of social media

32. Questions & Discussion?