While still in its infancy, the impact of automation and robotic influence is also being felt in public relations. Software and technology support, and sometimes replace, the need for human professionals. The latter is noticeable in the process of content creation media. As well as the way in which citizens encounter and interact discursively with PR content.
Part of this process centers on the role of algorithms. These can be interpreted as rules that tell social media networks and other digital applications how to respond to data generated on the internet. For example, Google uses algorithms to determine what content is relevant to a user. It highlights content and points of view that the algorithm believes the user already agrees with and/or likes.
Data and Research
In terms of media, “automation technology” already exists to regularly convert financial data. This is useful for news on subjects such as corporate results and estimates of future stock gains. Another use of algorithms in news is to generate stories automatically. For example, they can help write soccer match reports based on statistics and a predefined set of content. According to one study, readers cannot distinguish automated content from content written by humans.
Algorithmic Journalism
As algorithmic journalism evolves, the PR trends mirror it. After all, it is an industry that is driven by a need to “understand”. PR professionals must closely monitor changes in public attitudes and behavior. Digital technology has opened up a huge stream of potentially useful data, particularly in relation to social media discourse.
There are many companies that seek to monitor this data and offer analysis to help understand online content. This analysis is then used to categorize people into different segmented groups, allowing automation of the creation and transmission of targeted content.
There are also programs for managing “online personas”. Viable personas are created who can comment their opinions on newspaper websites, appearing to come from real people. Communicators are also using algorithms in conjunction with push to design online interactions. This includes content that leads the public to make decisions in areas such as health and personal finance.
All of this reinforces the need for professional and specialized PR services that make sense of this evolution, being efficient and effective in their results.