Shedding Light on the Dark Side of Digital PR: Taking and Communicating Responsibility
Chair(s): Mark Badham (Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom)
Respondent(s): Ansgar Zerfass (Leipzig University)
Presenter(s): Alexander Laskin (Quinnipiac University), Nils Borchers (University of Tübingen), Grazia Murtarelli (Università IULM), Anne Gregory (University of Huddersfield), Sophia Sophia (University of Zurich)
The increasingly widespread use and abuse of digital technologies for communication purposes by organizations, their stakeholders and wider society has led to an emerging scholarship dedicated to digital public relations (PR). However, emerging communication research also is addressing the dark side of digital communication (Bachmann, 2019; Gregory & Halff, 2020; Halff & Gregory, 2023; White & Boatwright, 2020; Valentini, 2015). A critical examination of digital PR deserves further research attention in the hope that PR departments and professionals may respond responsibly to the negative effects of digital communication. Accordingly, this panel critically examines the negative effects of digital communication on organisations, stakeholders and society and, aligned with the theme of this congress, how we can take responsibility for these negative effects. The panelists will shed light on diverse perspectives, including stakeholders (e.g., social media influencers), functions (e.g., financial communication and investor relations), activities (e.g., visual communication, evaluation and measurement), and technology (e.g., AI).
