Influence of The History of Communications on Contemporary Public Relations Theory and Practise

It is usually sufficient to conclude that in the late 19th and mid-20th centuries public relations grew from the United States of America, on a worldwide scale. This is because public relations such as exercises were noticed at the beginning of American settlement, because most of the states used advertising techniques to bring in pilgrims. In 1641, Harvard University began the first organized US fund-raising program. The movement was sponsored by the first fund-raising brochure called New England's First Fruits and the first press release was released by King's College (now Columbia University) in 1758, announcing the graduation ceremony.

During the American Revolution, public relations practices were dramatically prevalent, and any single consequent clash or situation when force was weakened or when open support was required. Shortly before the rebellion, Samuel Adams started what might be considered a public awareness strategy because he was expected to convey figures of the Civil War and used Liberty Tree that were identifiable and aroused feelings. 

History of Public Relations

The historical backdrop of public relations may also be related to the ancient Greeks, who had the concept in 'Free Will' and to the Romans, who used the articulation 'The voice of individuals is God's voice”.

Yet in presenting such events as PR events, we put our ideals and points of view on the past when they may possibly have had a very different significance in time and place. The history can be understood only by the interpretation of historical events within their unique cultural material. It is argued that the activities of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire for Charles James Fox's benefit in the 18th century, which included press relations, lobbying, and crusading with her friends, are precursors to the present public relations.

Public relations may also be traced to other Americans, also called Publicists, who have spent considerable time promoting bazaars, dramatic exhibitions, and other open shows. These are the people who have been said to create public relations/advertising in favour of the railways. Currently, several scholars agree that in the 1897 Yearbook of Railway Literature, the first use of the word 'Public Relations' occurred. One of the renowned publicists was Harry Reichenbach (1882-1931), an American member of the press based in New York who promoted motion pictures.

Reichenbach had recognized the famous painting by Paul Chabas. He saw a print in an art store window in Chicago and negotiated with the shop owner who hadn't sold any of his 2,000 prints. When he showed it to the moralistic crusader Anthony Comstock, Reichenbach had contracted a few young men to gawp at the image. Comstock was shocked on seeing it. The Anti-Vice Society of which Comstock was a member brought the case to trial and lost. Be that as it may, the case sparked public interest in the artwork, which ultimately sold millions of copies.

Ivy Better Lee and Edward Bernays are two names worthy of notice, related to public relations. Ivy Better Lee developed the idea of public relations and founded public relations as a vocation, while Edward Bernays became the first university professor of public relations. In explaining the root of the word Public Relations, Bernays commented, 'When I returned to the U.S. (from the war), I concluded that on the off chance that you could utilize propaganda for war, you could positively utilize it for harmony. And propaganda got to be a negative word because it was being used by the Germans.

Ivy Lee has been credited with developing cutting-edge news discharge (also known as 'Press release'). He maintained a consistent way of thinking in what was often referred to as the 'two-way approach' to coping in public relations that involves helping clients convey messages and listening to their audience. Lee dedicated himself to propaganda in the interest in consumers detested by people in general, including the founder of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller, the Vanderbilt, the Astors and the Carnegies. These were well known powerful businessmen and their names where synonymous with wealth and influence but the communication practise they and their firms practised was somewhat termed ‘Public be damned’ because it reflected their general lack of concern for engaging with the general public.

Another school of thought holds that Bernays was the professions first theorist. Bernays derived a considerable number of his thoughts from observations made by Sigmund Freud about the irrational, insensitive motives that form human behaviour. He was seeking to use the experience of his uncle to exploit public opinion. While his motives might have been good, history was to show what would happen if those theories were carried out for evil purposes (Using Hitler as case studies, and World War II). Bernays has published many books including Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923), Propaganda (1928), and Consent Engineering (1947). He imagined public relations as an 'applied science' making use of psychological and sociological experiences.

A tobacco company was one of Bernays ' original customers. He orchestrated a now-unbelievable publicity stunt in 1929, which was intended to persuade ladies to take up cigarette smoking, a show that was only comparable with men at the time. It was unfeminine and inappropriate for women to smoke; other than the occasional prostitutes, no ladies publicly took an interest in the demonstration for all intents and purposes.

What is PR Now? 

It was reported that public relations is one of the fastest growing occupations in the world, as such, it is fair to say that information acquisition is essential, as much has evolved in the field of public relations since its inception, especially with the advent of the Internet and social networking sites or to summarize ‘Online Media’.

Overview of Online/Social Media 

The 21st century witnessed a tremendous growth for public relations. As such the art of the practise is viewed from a totally new different perspective. Technological advancement and social networking a very new sphere, which includes the use of mobile and web-based technologies to develop or create highly interactive networks that distribute, create, converse and modify user-generated content between individuals and communities has helped placed public relations in a new spotlight.

Social media is any form of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content such as videos (merriam webster).

Statistics/Effects 

The reach of social media and its audience around the world is ever growing and these statistics are projected to still increase. According to a Pew Research Center report in 2015, nearly two-thirds of American adults (65 percent) use social networking sites, up from 7 percent when they started systematically monitoring social media use in 2005. Online media is so powerful a tool that it has help shaped, position or communicate the way PR is used to reach certain age groups or demographics of audience. The list of tools available now to PR are endless and these can be used to influence public opinions, increase sales and profits as well as increase an organizations credibility and visibility.

Below are some examples of said tools which when applied correctly or incorrectly can help yield positive or negative results.

1. Facebook offers social utility tools that help people connect and interact with their friends, families and colleagues more effectively. Launched in Feb 2004 and connects more than a billion people.
2. LinkedIn is a social networking service that operates via websites and mobile apps, focused on business and jobs. Founded on 28 December 2002 and launched on 5 May 2003, it is primarily used for professional networking, including job posting employers and job seekers posting their CVs to garner a wider audience.
3. Twitter is one of the globally most influential social networks. Part of its appeal is users ' ability to follow any other user with a public profile, allowing users to connect with celebrities who frequently post on social media sites. Twitter is a micro-blogging social network that enables users to exchange real-time information with up to 140 characters per tweet in short spurts.
4. YouTube allows room for users to share videos online. There are over a billion users of this means of communication worldwide and this has also enhanced the way information is shared.
5. Blogs are more of a discussion or a 2-way information sharing tool whereby people can subscribe as well as comment on various topics. Not only do bloggers create content to post on their pages, they also establish social relationships with their followership and other bloggers as well.

Its not just these apps listed above alone, Platforms such as Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest and Google+ can't be missed if modern PR professionals want to effectively communicate their tale.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the way we communicate is changing rapidly, information is so easily accessibly these days that one can get news and other information quickly which has resulted in information overload. As such PR has had to adapt to the times and has had to change the way a client’s story is communicated.

However, PR is not founded exclusively on communication theories, the history of PR has significantly contributed to the development of PR theory and in effect has successively helped improve its practice. It can be said that public relations are not static, that they continuously evolve, alter and adapt to new circumstances and situations. The current dominant paradigm in PR can be said to be the theory of excellence which argues that the Symmetrical communication method is the most efficient type of both internal and external communication. This ensures that organisations must participate in meaningful ' two-way ' dialogue with stakeholders, but as a result of that conversation or transparency, they must also ensure that they are prepared to change those policies. This can also be applied to social media as trust is validated by the fact that it enables the relationship to be carried out in a two-way process. The most successful organizations that practice excellent PR have the role of PR running at the company's best level. The PR procedure appears to be realistic for many companies, however, and hires a range of PR models, depending on the cases and circumstances. It can also be said that public relations and communications have evolved in many ways, from the traditional means of advertising using propaganda, hearsay, spectacles, banners, prints, etc. to a more modernized means through the invent of the internet/online media. The public is in tune with the world wide web and is abreast with happenings as they occur as such PR must be able to keep up with these trends if it is to remain as an excellent communicator between organizations and the public. An effective and efficient means of disseminating information to the citizens in our modern world today is through the new media. And this has been enhanced through information technology, which is the center piece of mass communication

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