Monitoring Public Opinion in Cyberspace: How Corporate Public Relations Is Facing the Challenge

Abstract

As publics and journalists increasingly turn to social media as sources of information and consumer commentary, the importance of practitioners’ monitoring their organizations’ presence on social media will continue to increase. As a domain where publics have unrestrained voice, social media present interesting challenges to practitioners monitoring organizational reputation. Through survey interviews with practitioners at Fortune 500 and 1000s, this study explores current trends in social media management, use, monitoring, and importance in public relations departments at the nation’s leading corporations. Findings reveal a large gap in use and perceived importance between practitioners and a slow awakening among even non-users reticent to adopt as they realize its potential value. Further, new directions for research and practice on use of social media for issues management are revealed