Social Media Space in Public Relations EducationAmy Thurlow & Anthony Yue

Department of Communication Studies Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS

The rapid adoption of social media and social networking tools by the disciplines of public relations and communication management has essentially mirrored the rise of the use of such tools by the population at large. Although social media has become an important component of curriculum development within faculties of professional communication, the focus has been largely on the technological skills associated with these media, and not the broader context of communication in which they operate (Jenkins, 2009). As public relations and communication management programs scramble to ensure students are exposed to new digital media technologies, there has been little recognition of the ethical implications of these media in terms of academic responsibility and jurisdictional boundaries within and around the virtual classroom (Scott, 2008).

At the same time, it is safe to say that social media and social networking tools have transformed the university education experience for public relations and communication students. The implications of this transformation are important for not only students, but also for faculty navigating this new terrain.

Social media in professional education

“What students don’t realize is that the use of new media in education has fundamentally changed the nature of our relationship.” (Faculty member, Communication and PR)

Ethical dilemmas in the virtual classroom

Scenario 1Student A is a student in an on-campus Communication course. She contacts her professor via email to say that a classmate has posted comments about her on Facebook. These comments describe Student A as “wasting time in Communication class with her endless, stupid questions.” The comments are posted on the classmate’s own Facebook page, however, since all of the Communication students are “friends” of the classmate, the entire class has read the posting. The professor is not a “friend” of the classmate and does not have access to the Facebook question. Student A has forwarded the content of the page in her email to the professor.

The professor contacts the classmate and asks for a face to face meeting. During the meeting the professor asks the classmate to take the posting off her Facebook page.

Emergent themes and recommendations

Policy implications regarding the obligation of universities andother institutions to prepare students for use of social media,perhaps a ‘media literacy’ approach may become increasinglyimportant in professional studies education.

Boundary-crossing characteristics of

faculty

The conceptualization of the classroom

The tension between democratization

and/or the commodification of

education

The jurisdictional boundaries of

communication within the new media environment

What are the ethical issues that you see reflected in this scenario?

How would this scenario be different if social media were not involved?

What would you do if you were the main character (student or professor) in this scenario?

How serious do you think this issue is? (for students, for faculty, for universities)