The practice of public relations is continually being reshaped and that's especially the case today given the many uses for new communication technology, the impacts of globalization, and organizational restructuring.

This chapter examines these societal-level trends and then considers how the nature of the public relations practice and the qualifications of practitioners are changing in response. And finally, the chapter concludes by overviewing 10 ongoing and long-term changes in the practice.

Much of what's considered to be "public relations" work today may not be recognizable as such by 2010 if the pace of Internet-driven technology changes, globalization of worldwide markets, and organizational restructuring continue at present rates. To estimate the significance of these changes, Grupp/PR Strategist notes that 95 percent of all information will be generated by machines, and only 5 percent by people communicating face-to-face in 2010.¹

The relationship-building business that many see as public relations may soon look completely different, though the big reasons seem fairly clear-cut. First are the uses of new communication technologies and especially such Internet capabilities as speed, targeting, repetition, and consistency. Second, the massive building and restructuring of market economies around the world remind us that the nature of public relations work is often shaped by larger social, economic, political, and cultural changes. And third, the huge number of mergers and acquisitions brought on by the dot-com bulge and bust, the stock market plunge of 2001 and beyond, results in organizational restructuring that vastly increases the relative importance of a whole range of communication technology and training functions. Many of these new functions are not now managed by the public relations or communication department, but they soon will be.

To be sure, solid public relations accomplishment will always come from effective relationship-building grounded in principles of two-way, relatively balanced communication. What's different is that so much more of this will be mediated, rather than taking place face-to-face, in small groups or even in organizational meetings. Thus, for today's public relations students, these changes should prompt future practitioners to think carefully about their journalism and communication course selections, not to mention minors and double majors. That's because most students want graduation to be followed by an entry-level professional job rather than a glorified third or fourth internship.

¹Bob Grupp, "Public Relations Must Control the Web Site," Public Relations Strategist 5, no. 4 (Winter 2000), p. 34.