The future of social media as we know it will continue to change and evolve, and this is something in which public relations professionals need to be on top of for their own reputation and presence in both research and practice. Social search, mobile technology, concept of interactive information and social consumers, and impact of crowdsourcing information are just a few trends that are currently being discussed as the next big thing with social media research and implementation.
After reviewing some of these new trends that have been shared online, I would add to the category the interaction of information through augmented reality and personalization of information disseminated tailored directly to the user through mobile devices as other trends to watch as well. The power of the message continues to be with the user, and brands and consumers are definitely on an equal playing field where technology has been the equalizer in the PR/Marketing equation. Social media has created some interesting statistics and facts that are indeed astounding for PR professionals to consider and review in order to fully understand the impact that this has had on society.
Content is indeed social – and implementing this into the classroom is absolutely key. I have used both Facebook and Twitter in my PR courses, and I have found that it allows the discussion from class to expand to outside of class where the students are able to share, communicate, and comment on various case studies and trends that they see to be useful for the course. Other social media platforms that allow students and professors to be engaged with the content for the class include of course YouTube (showing video clips of campaigns implementing successful and unsuccessful campaigns), Tumblr and WordPress (allowing students hands on training in writing and managing reputation) and Quora (answering questions and commenting on various topics relevant to the course topic) to name a few.
I will be part of a panel at the National Communication Association Annual Convention on teaching social media within PR courses this upcoming November, and I will be sharing some of the trends and best practices I have seen in PR education as well as some lessons and best practices I have observed during the course of teaching my courses in PR. Some of the previous sites and platforms that I mentioned earlier will also be discussed in my paper as well.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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