Social media allows PR practitioners to reach their public, and allows for feedback. From Twitter to Facebook, to online forums, PR practitioners are using new media to contact loads of people at the click of a button.
I recently came across an article that warns of the dangers that lurk if unscupulous PR practitioners utilise new media unethically. Check out the article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/7129475/Can-we-trust-hotel-reviews-on-TripAdvisor.html
Tripadviser is a brilliant website, and lets visitors to the website read reviews of hotels, "tourist places" etc. The reviewers are means to be ordinary people, not journalists or PR people. This lends credibility as the "man in the street" is trusted as they tend to not have any interest in pushing the agenda of companies. But, companies are now offering PR and marketing people a way to ensure that their companies receive a great review by placing fake reviews, for a fee. This is a perfect example of unethical use of new media.
References:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/7129475/Can-we-trust-hotel-reviews-on-TripAdvisor.html
