Instantaneous journalism is closelylinked to the advent of social media. It can be defined as a journalistic practice that involves instant updates followed by short-form draft storytelling, as well as the application of non-linear methods to edit the packages (Knight & Cook 2013, p. 35). The idea of instant updates has been made more popular by the rise of micro-blogging sites such as Twitter, that allow for 140-character updates. The updates are used in several outputs including alert emails, text messages, and status updates. On its part, Public Relations is the mode of communication between individuals, organizations and the wider public (Wright & Hinson 2008, p.3). It can either be direct or indirect communication, with the underlying aim to foster a strong relationship and build a positive image.

The importance of instantaneous journalism and public relations is realized at both the individual and organizational levels. For journalists, instantaneous journalism ensures that they remain active in social media platforms and are aware of the reactions within a particular conversation(Knight & Cook 2013, p. 35). The use of instant updates also allows journalists to add extra color, personality, and information to the conversation. At the organizational level, public relations serve to benefit the firm in the long-run. Social media platforms have made it possible for employees to act as advocates for their companies (Wollan, Smith, & Zhou 2010, p.8). Additionally, good public relations and strategic press releases allow organizations to control what is accessible to the public (Kaplan & Haenlein 2010, p.60) It is apparent that success or failure in instantaneous journalism and public relations largely draws from the use of social media. This means that the journalist targets an audience with the need for succinct and fast information. As such, there is a need to ensure simplicity and brevity.

References

Kaplan, A.M. and Haenlein, M., 2010. Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business horizons, 53(1), pp.59-68.

Knight, M. and Cook, C., 2013.‘Finding the Story,’ in M Steele (ed.), Social media for journalists: principles and practice. SAGE Publications Limited.

Knight, M. and Cook, C., 2013. ‘Producing Content in a Social Landscape,’ in M Steele (ed.), Social media for journalists: principles and practice. SAGE Publications Limited.

Wollan, R., Smith, N. and Zhou, C., 2010. The social media management handbook: Everything you need to know to get social media working in your business. John Wiley & Sons.

Wright, D.K. and Hinson, M.D., 2008. How blogs and social media are changing public relations and the way it is practiced. Public relations journal, 2(2), pp.1-21.