Role and Influence of Social Media on the
PR Industry: Uses and Opportunities in UAE

Viola Gjylbegaj
Abu Dhabi University, UAE

The industry of public relations (PR) within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is lagging corresponding to the advancements which are happening in the external world. In this context, social media has been regarded to be the primary catalyst in terms of pushing the PR industry of the UAE to cope with the continuous alterations of the external environment. The research initially included secondary research where qualitative data has been collected for drawing hypotheses regarding the impact of social media on the public relations industry of the UAE. The Mixed method of data collection has been done using face to face interviews and surveys based on questionnaires sets. Based on the findings, the MODE method has been implemented for finding out the central tendencies of the responses, and thematic analysis has been performed. It has been analyzed and concluded that social media does impact in a highly positive manner in the industry of public relations of the UAE.

Keywords: Impact, PR industry, social media, UAE

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Viola Gjylbegaj (Ph.D., Tor Vergata University, Italy, 2012) is an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, UAE. Dr. Viola teaches courses in the strategic communication. Her research interest includes intercultural communication, print journalism, social media, and PR writing.

Role and Influence of Social Media on the PR Industry: Uses and Opportunities in UAE

References