An overview of new media research in public relations journals from 1981 to 2014

• Reviews major trends and themes across 34 years of journal articles on communication technology.
• Finds applications and perceptions studies far outnumber theoretical contributions.
• Suggests multiple areas for theory building.

A 34-year review of communication technology research published in six public relations journals reveals applications and perceptions studies far outnumber investigations focused on usability, concerns, or theoretical contributions related to scholarly and practitioner understanding of new media. Six trends observed in the 321-article dataset are noted, along with suggestions for theory building and other areas for future research.