A Delphi study of the future of new technology research in public relations

• A Delphi study of 14 technology professionals from six countries identified a number of important trends.
• Key findings from technology professionals highlight important directions in the field of public relations.
• Public relations professionals need to move away from the one-way, sender to receiver models.
• Public relations needs to expand the study of social media and beyond sales, marketing, advertising, and support services.

New technology has dramatically expanded over the past decade. New features on websites, powerful mobile devices, and the subsequent restructuring of news services have dramatically changed the profession. This study sought to learn about the broader issues of technology, and forecast trends in online communication technologies. In an effort to learn what technology professionals outside of public relations know about new technology and social media, this study used a Delphi methodology and solicited the participation of technology professionals from computer science, professional writing, communication studies, art, business, music and other areas. The first two rounds of the Delphi findings are reported and suggest that public relations professionals need to broaden their understanding of new technology to consider social and relational issues, rather than the current focus on practice.