Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants

PR in Pop Culture: Does it Matter, and What if it Does?

Department

School of Communications

College

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Date Range

2011-2012

Abstract

Taking a cue from the American pop culture icon John Mellencamp, who once crooned, Nothing matters and what if it did?, I would say there are two ways to answer the `so what' question about how PR is portrayed in popular culture. One, does the portrayal really affect the image of public relations in the minds of the public? This leads to a consideration of various media effects theories as well as some empirical evidence on the topic at hand. Secondly, if the public perception of PR is negative or incomplete, there are a variety of variables specifically and indirectly related to popular culture--that cause that perception. Each of these variables should be addressed directly, and academics could have a significant role to play in improving public perception of our profession.

Conference Name

AEJMC Conference

Conference Location

St. Louis, MO

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