Influence of Facebook on Public Relations Strategy in Universities: A Case Study of St. Paul’s University

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to analyze how use of social media in corporate affairs has influenced how universities create and implement their public relations strategies. . The study used the Technology Acceptance Model and the Adaptive Structuration Theory as the theoretical framework. Mixed research methods were used to get the research data from a total of 361 respondents. The sample size comprised of the Public Relations manager of St. Paul’s university, 350 students and 10 lecturers from the Department of Communication Studies in the School of Communication and Computer Studies. An interview guide was used to extract data from the public relations manager while a questionnaire was issued to students and lecturers. The data wasanalyzed using SPSS before presenting findings. The key findings were that use of Facebook had forced the university to create a Public Relations strategy for their social media while various activities like advertising as well as brand positioning were being carried out to help implement the strategy. The platform was also shown to be effective at helping implement the public relations strategy in the present and in the long term. In conclusion, Facebook has influenced the creation of a social media strategy that is incorporated into the overall Public Relations strategy in the university. The study recommends that universities invest in hiring and training personnel to manage their social media accounts.