ABSTRACT
Given the growing importance of social media in both the life of many people and the practice of public relations, it is fair to say that social media has effectively affected the identities of individuals, both publics and public relations practitioners, as well as those of organizations. As a result, social media has significantly changed almost all the areas in public relations practice, ranging from environmental scanning, identifying publics, messaging strategies, relationship management, to conflict management. This chapter starts with an overview of social media use in public relations, followed by a more detailed discussion on the effects of social media on the individual and organizational identities, as well as how social media has changed the various areas of public relations management. It ends with evaluation of social media use based on the different purposes and functions, as well as directions for future research.
