Public relation(ship)s or private controls? Practitioner perspectives on the uses and benefits of new technologies

This research surveys public relations practitioners at leading corporations to determine what anticipated benefits drive investments in new communication and information technologies. The dominant symmetrical model in the public relations literature highlights efficiency and relationship‐building benefits, but research here incorporates control benefits of new technologies that are under explored—a voiding media gatekeepers, enhancing stakeholder monitoring and surveillance, and capturing more stakeholder data. Results of a survey with practitioners at 107 of the Fortune 500 companies suggest that efficiency benefits are especially important and that control and relationship‐building benefits are more or less equally important considerations. The research contributes to our understanding of control aspects of new technologies and underscores the need for more critical research into ethical concerns associated with such controls.