Who are you communicating with...Man or Machine?

Building on my last blog submission around the Web 2.0 concept, recent DCS lectures furthered my knowledge of this online process whilst introducing the theme of Interactivity. The dimension of communication technologies has been one of the greatest phenomenon of the 21^st Century. Through what seems like the caveman era of the digital realm, communication between individuals and machines began with the humble email and SMS messaging. Through rapid technological discoveries, the natural attributes of face-to-face conversations has developed into communications occurring in mediated settings through various online platforms.

The concept of interactivity can be a confusing one (like a few of these blog topics) and many Public Relations Practitioners (PRP’s) may also find this when interacting with their publics, whilst trying to conceptualising the term for the needs of the industry. For PRP’s to harness the importance of conversing with consumers online they need to differentiate between interactivity and other two-way influencers such as choice, involvement and active audiences. Interactivity requires that communicants respond to each other, which results in one of two forms, regular response - reaction to previous messages or response which acknowledges prior responses (Rafaeli, 1985).

　

Many agencies use the process of interactivity through the medium of Facebook, as the communication is reciprocal through both parties. Splendid Communications has recently launched the Lucozade ‘Yes’ campaign virally to social media sites. These online strategies incorporate elements of interactivity to engage with the intended audiences to enhance brand reputation and awareness. However, companies are never safe from negative discourse, as they leave themselves open and vulnerable when they operate online. Once interactive communications start in online territories the content is there for whoever wishes the access it. The agency can't control certain unwanted responses around their media attention. If this content is removed, publics could deem this unethical and not transparent, causing more interactivity but problematic for the PR.  

　Lucozade 'Yes' - Viral Campaign

　

Using pop culture icons such as Travis Barker and Tinie Tempah just encourages further interactivity. Publics could use the advertisement as a platform to conduct more communications with these stars by ’tweeting’ them or writing on their Facebook page…the interactive cycle is an endless, helical, spiral conversation between many.

Web 2.0 shaping the (PR) world as we know it...

The second week of DCS (Week 2 -31st Jan) progressed to the history and context of digital strategies, contrasting to more recent, topical social media and online PR tactics. Collating thoughts from the lectures, seminars and readings , Web 2.0 seemed to be a denominating factor in the influence and creation of many second-generation web based communities such a social networking and wikis. This preliminary blog will decipher how Web 2.0 surpassed the initial communications mix, disrupting everything.

Source: Electronic Portfolio  

Associated with Tim O’Reily, the term ‘Web 2.0’ was coined around 2004, with it the global landscape of the World Wide Web changed and it seemed everyone was converting to digital use, although this carried its implications (such as the digital divide) as any piece of innovative jargon or phenomenon would. Peter Debreceny observed a difference “between technologies that modify existing channels of communication and technology that is changing the environment for all communication, Web 2.0 being the latter type of influence.” It requires a completely new way of thinking as its breaking down barriers of control. Instead of implementing the ideal two-way symmetric model, PR professionals like to manipulate audiences whilst maintaining the control, becoming gatekeepers in their own right. Web 2.0 is contravening this entirely, empowering media-savvy publics, whether its responses to online media relations through social networking or regular RSS updates.

The tactics and strategies conjured by practitioners rely heavily on the use of media, ensuring that their methods (John V. Pavlik, Ph. D) always need to be adapted effectively to new paradigms of communication technologies. The Public Relations industry has conformed (as many others have) to communicating with publics through the reshaped landscape of new media, utilizing the social media boom, with old media becoming a thing of the past.

An article published by Guardian technology editor, Charles Arthur, points out how Technology Journalists are pioneering the way of harbouring trends in communication tools and gadgets in order to balance the everyday ‘work/life hum‘ (Guardian, 2009). This could be a step in the right direction for PR professionals in dominating social networking channels to relay more information to publics through the technological world.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/sep/21/technology-journalists-pioneers?INTCMP=SRCH.  

Have you personally noticed the radical change of Web 1.0 to 2.0? Did you make the transition from Myspace to Facebook to Twitter...and now due to DCS we have all become part of the Blogosphere. Our associations with the Web 2.0 phenomenon seems to me to be ever expanding...