The Use of Social Media by Public Relations Practitioners: the Case of the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace
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Date
2023-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the use of social media by public relations practitioners in the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace. In the study, the roles of social media in public relations practitioners‟ communication and the ways information is exchanged through the ministry's social media platforms were assessed. In this study, the qualitative method was applied for detailed information regarding the objectives of the study. The study participants were selected using a purposive sampling technique, based on their position and experience they have about the subject. Among the four models of Grunig and Hunt, 1984) the two-way symmetrical model was used to assess the use of social media by public relations practitioners in the ministry of peace. In the two-way symmetric model, public relations practitioners‟ goal is to achieve mutual understanding between organizations and their public (Charles & Singh, 2006 p.5), based on the data from the Ministry through in-depth interviews and content analysis, the following are the major findings of this study: public relations practitioner‟s communication on social media is following a one-way communication flow, the ministry uses only one social media platform for communication instead of using multiple platforms, the ministry‟s image and reputation is bad in the perception of the public, and there is a gap in the side of knowing the characteristics of media and in applying the public relations functions.
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Social Media, Ethiopian Ministry of Peace