Social media newsrooms: exploring identity and organisational legitimacy through user generated comment at First Direct

Phillimore, Mark and Wilson, Jon A.J. (2010) Social media newsrooms: exploring identity and organisational legitimacy through user generated comment at First Direct. In: Euprera Spring Symposium 2010, 25th-27th February 2010, University College Arteveldehogeschool, Ghent, Belgium.

PDF Restricted to Repository staff only Download (128kB)

Abstract

The online media centre or press room which has been a feature of organisational web sites since the mid‐1990s has developed a new variant in recent years ‐ the social media newsroom or social media centre. However this conceptual paper explores an even more recent development of the social media centre incorporating much greater use of user generated comment in particular on the site of UK retail bank, First Direct, part of HSBC (www.newsroom.firstdirect.com). The use of such content alongside more formal, traditional and asymmetric communications such as press releases raises questions about the future role of online media centres. It also raises important issues for PR practitioners about organisations using social construction in an organisation’s identity and overall corporate reputation. This development which is the main focus of the paper is considered particularly in the context of Prof. Jensen’s (2001) work on “organisational legitimacy and identity in the public sphere”.

Actions (login required)