To put current work in perspective, respondents were asked to describe how public relations work has changed over the past three to five years, and how they expect it to change in the next few years. Virtually everyone said that technology has changed the way people do public relations work. Companies expect communication to be instantaneous, so new technology must be used to get tasks done more quickly and efficiently.
Companies get information faster and also get it out faster.
For example, the news about a crisis gets out almost immediately, and the response must be equally rapid. In addition, new technology such as the Internet makes it easier to get messages out to broad audiences. For example, people use the Internet to pitch stories to reporters, send news releases, and communicate with clients. The number of media is increasing, and there are new types of media and publications. On the positive side, timeliness increases immediacy.