Mercy Addo 44222703 School of Communication and Arts Digital Media Theory and Practice (COMU7304) Scope: Examine a key development, change or issue associated with digital media as it applies to the field of PR and professional communication. Task: Examine the use of the word 'authentic' as it applies to contemporary online media and content creation. How is it used? Who uses it? Has it become a cliché? Research and critically analyse the use of the words 'authentic' and 'authenticity' in this context, providing illustrations and academic support for your argument Lem (2017), argues that digital media has come to stay. This argument is a rational argument because media has progressed through many forms. It has expanded from print and broadcast (TV & radio) to websites, blogs and social media, which are classified as contemporary media. Alejandro (2010) describes contemporary media as "personal media". It can also be described as an interactive, virtual and evolving form of media that is dependent on and moderated by cyberspace (networking, the internet and digital communication) (Galloway, 2005). Contemporary media requires one to think visually. It uses more of pictures and videos, accompanied by text to appeal to its audience especially the younger millennials. Narrowly, contemporary PR has been described as an administrative function that requires organisations to maintain relationships with its publics on a mutually beneficial basis (Kirby, 2009). 1 Mercy Addo 44222703
Mercy Addo 44222703 Content creation, on the other hand, is described as the act of creating informational media for the consumption of an audience (Tapia, 2017). Specifically, digital content creation in PR is a digital media strategy that involves generating media content (text-based or visual- based) that is carefully audiences targeted, constructed and designed to drive awareness, promote the reputation of a brand and create conversations (WalkerSand, 2017). From a Public Relation's perspective, contemporary media is good because the appropriate audiences are targeted and brand messages spread easily (Molleda, 2010). The purpose of this essay is to examine the issues, changes and development contemporary media has associated with PR and professional communication. The positioning argument of this essay is that contemporary media is like a "categorical magnifying glass" that can either clear the path of PR practices or obscure the success of a PR practice. The essay would analyse the use of the word "authentic/authenticity" in contemporary media, supported by some examples, in relation to who is using it and how it is being used. The essay would also discuss some research literature on authenticity in PR. Definition of "Authentic/authenticity" The use of the words virtual, personal and cyberspace to describe contemporary media raises concerns about the reality behind content created and shared through online contemporary media and attracts questions on authenticity. Recently, the word "authentic" has been nominated as the new "buzzword" in PR by some PR news bloggers, web columnist, media professionals and influencers because of the strong foundation contemporary media has established in the media landscape (Pollack 2017; Killkelly 2017; Burch 2017). Around this same time, fake news