SOCIAL NETWORKS THREATS

Text topic: Modern Media and PR

Text author: Stjepan Malović

Journalists and PR experts were once two strictly separated professions. As time passed by they grew closer and today almost 70% of all published news come from PR sources. Nobody is accusing journalists of being lazy or PR experts of being overly aggressive in imposing their information. A peaceful harmony could be found in the print business. But, new digital technologies, especially social networks, have dramatically changed the relationship and harmony between journalists and PR professionals. Numerous citizen journalists and citizen PR equivalents, without any other reason except their wish to be heard, overload social networks with information of very often dubious quality or unethical features. Nevertheless, social networks are free, we have freedom of speech, and Facebook, Twitter and other networks have pushed out the classical media. Journalists were the first line of victims, but black clouds loom over PR professionals as well. They never know when one kid may crucify their company on Twitter. How can PR experts respond to aggressive network communicators and are they capable of, together with journalists, returning information to the old stream? The process cannot be considered reversible, because nobody has managed to stop the technology development yet. Adjusting to the new technologies, finding new possibilities and reasserting quality information is the only possibility. Journalists and PR experts have to find together new methods for creating news and informing the public.