week nine

With rapid advancements in technology, there has been increased connectivity and communication with people all around the world. The internet is the platform for people to share and receive any information that they want. In most developed countries, internet penetration is more than 60%, like in Australia, and the United States of America (internetworldstats, 2010). This percentage is significantly greater when compared to the internet penetration for developing countries like South Africa, at 4.6% (internetworldstats, 2010). Nevertheless, with rising literacy levels, internet connection in the developing countries will eventually reach those of developed countries. Only at that point in time, can the world be considered a global nation.

However, when information can be transferred so freely between people, nothing on the internet can truly be considered safe, especially with the rising number of hackers and scams online. In addition, the free transfer of information has made piracy an important issue for governments. Thus, anyone can be anybody else on the internet platform. There is then great need to ensure that security on important sites of companies and governments are safeguarded from scams and hackers, to retain credibility and reliability in the public. This two-way transfer of information and communication serves to transmit information to the public and receive feedback from them more easily (Weaver et al., 2003). Conversely, many PR practitioners prefer to use traditional forms of media and not new media technologies to communicate to the public, perceiving it to simply being an extension of conventional forms of communication (Holtz, 2002). This could be due to the lack of training in new media technologies and thus the lack of confidence in using them (Theaker, 2008).

Glocalisation – the process of thinking globally and acting locally, serves to indicate the importance of considering the world as a single nation, but yet acting locally to serve their individual purposes. PR practitioners can make use of social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs to publicise their organisation. This method serves to increase awareness of the company worldwide, but yet targeting local communities and to facilitate the company’s expansion into other countries in future. However, there is need to take note to not disclose one’s professional status when posting on blogs and not be propagandistic, and come off as a mere promotional and advertising gimmick.

with love,
cookie biscuit.
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