Strategic Communication, Social Media and Democracy

Today almost everyone in the developed world spends time online and anyone involved in strategic communication must think digitally. The magnitude of change may be up for debate but the trend is unstoppable, dramatically reconfiguring business models, organisational structures and even the practice of democracy. Strategic Communication, Social Media and Democracy provides a wholly new framework for understanding this reality, a reality that is transforming the way both practitioners and theoreticians navigate this fast-moving environment. Firmly rooted in empirical research, and resisting the lure of over-optimistic communication dreams, it explores both the potential that social media offers for changing the relationships between organisations and stakeholders, and critically analyses what has been achieved so far. This innovative text will be of great interest to researchers, educators and advanced students in strategic communications, public relations, corporate communication, new media, social media and communication management.

W. Timothy Coombs is a professor in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University, USA. Jesper Falkheimer is a professor in strategic communication at Lund University, Sweden. Mats Heide is a professor in strategic communication at Lund University, Sweden. Philip Young is Lecturer and Researcher at Lund University, Sweden.

1. Meet the Digital Naturals Part I: New Media & Strategic Communication 2. The Role of Communication Professionals in the Digital Age: Old paradoxes, new distinctions? 3. Exploring the Language of Social Media in the Discourse of Public Relations 4. Rotation Curation on Instagram: How digital naturals participate in city imaging 5. Social Intranets and Internal Communication: Dreaming of democracy in organizations 6. Digital Naturals and Crisis Communication: Significant shifts of focus Part II: Modern Democracy 7. The Dream of Enlightenment Within Digital Reach? Concepts of democracy 8. What Do Digital Naturals Demand from Democracy? 9. Social Media and Parliamentary Infighting: Digital naturals in the Swedish Riksdag? 10. 'Swarming' for Democracy: Karl-Theodor Guttenberg's plagiarism case, the court of public opinion and the parliament of things 11. Deliberation and Adjudication as Democratic Practice in Post-Fact Society 12. The Gamification of Democracy: Computer games as strategic communication tools and cultivating forces 13. Digital Media and New Terrorism 14. Conclusion