The Internet as a PR agent since technological advances in Public Relations Theories

With the advent of technology like the Internet, almost anyone can employ public relations practices. World Pillow Fight Day (March 22) was hosted by a student-run organization called Newmindspace, who promoted the event via Facebook and Myspace. The group’s founders, Kevin Bracken and Lori Kufner, are students at University of Toronto, and want to promote unity through events in public spaces.
http://www.newmindspace.com/

For professional PR practitioners, technological advancements in the 1990s meant that they would have a new area to get in touch with their organization’s publics. It also meant that regular people at home could use computers to connect with others, as well. The textbook explains, “The advent of the world wide web, with its global reach and instant communication, meant that business became more transparent; increasingly, organizations were expected to make information about themselves available to publics on the web (Tench 160).”

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=114422510

With technology like the Internet, students such as Bracken and Kufner are able to expand on the urban playground movement with the public pillow fight. The event already exists in major cities from Paris to Shanghai. Through the Internet and other means of publicity, the founders of Newmindspace were able to find out about such an event and have their own in the United States. They’ve already organized two in Toronto and one in New York City. Because of exposure through Facebook, 5,000 people attended the pillow fight in New York, even though it had an original confirmed attendance of 12,000. Such a massive number of people were exposed and wanted to come to the event. Professional PR practitioners from major businesses have actually tried to gain promotion through Newmindspace for their clients. However, Bracken thinks the urban playground movement should be about regular, everyday people. He said, ‘We feel it is best unmediated by commercial transaction.’ He also acknowledges the importance of the Internet, and what is possible with the Internet as a PR agent. ‘We hope that urban playground events will become a large part of popular culture,’ he said. ‘Now that Internet culture has enabled it, there's no reason for these events not to happen forever.’



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120814163599712081.html?mod=yhoofront