Organisational narratives shaping practitioners' use of social media

Public relations will continue to transform as digital mediums permeate how we interact, communicate and relate to others. Social media provide a unique environment for conversing, sharing and engaging others online. This case
study investigates the narratives a public relations consultancy shares with its practitioners, exploring how narratives influence relating to others, if at all, in online spaces. This study’s findings demonstrate social media’s usefulness for public relations lies in hosting conversations, making connections and sharing, not in creating or maintaining relationships. Results also suggest a need to investigate the ‘sociality’ of social media, its capacity for enacting dialogic exchanges and the potential social media offers practitioners in converting connections and online interactions into something more akin to a relationship.