An Analysis of Social Media Usage by Public Relations Departments in Select Private Universities in Kenya.
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Date
2021
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
East African Journal of Information Technology
Abstract
This paper investigates the use of Social Media by Public Relations
departments in two large private universities in Kenya. Social media are
web-based applications where the creation of profiles and connections of
people takes place. Social media use is constantly growing amongst
organizations, as technology and globalization evolve, so do the role of
Public Relations hence becoming inevitable in everyday practice. Despite
the availability of social media platforms, little is known on how they are
used to communicate. Contrariwise, the extant literature discloses that at
present, there is moderately negligible research with focus on the use of
social media in public relations in private organizations. This study is
grounded on the outcomes of a research submitted in lieu of a Doctoral
degree in Mass Communication at the St Augustine University of Tanzania
involving 270 survey participants and 2 in-depth interviews. Data was
generated using questionnaires and analysed using SPSS version 23
whereas interviews were analysed thematically. Findings reveal that
University K and St Paul University use social media to: publicize
activities; send information to the public; change public opinion; enhance
information value; lobby public support as well as to provide the public with
a question-and-answer platform. This paper highlights need to pay more
attention to the content and public’s need besides embracing other available
social media tools and technologies to promote trust amongst the public and
the organization. And also, need to devise means of adjusting to the
inevitable changes regularly besides diverse approaches in strengthening
PR practice and regulation.
Description
Keywords
Social Media Use, Public Relations, Departments, Public, Communication
Citation
Samwel, N., & Lando, A. (2021). An Analysis of Social Media Usage by Public Relations Departments in Select Private Universities in Kenya. East African Journal of Information Technology, 4(1), 16-25. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajit.4.1.502