Potential impediment on one side --- Web relationships between and among different actors and involvement of more individual interests in today's increasingly complex political settings and policy process have posed significant challenges to public relations officers in the employment of digital tools and social media in their contemporary PD establishment. Even one post on social media may be contradictory or disliked by someone, some interest groups (including political party) or even conflicting views to some country that could lead to negative response (as people can make commentation easily) or even official protest resulting subsequent large negative impacts on the bilateral relations. This becomes fear of engagement for many public relations officers (esp those in highly hierarchical bureaucratic structure) that persists in effective use of digital tools and social media in PD.

Source author: Aung Naing Soe ansoe.mofa@gmail.com