Who Controls Social Media? Tech Giants and Influence

The internet has fundamentally changed the corporate communications industry. In the past, PR professionals would laugh at advertisers for their need for control, and marketing experts impressed the executive floor with sophisticated charts and graphs, while creatives and PR specialists seemed like dropouts. But essentially, everyone got along well. Everyone knew their job.

Today, a battle is raging in this once playfully competitive scene over the world of social media. Who owns it? Who controls it? Who is entitled to it? Every industry gives a different answer to this question. After studying public relations, gaining some marketing knowledge, and working in an advertising agency, I have gained some insights into this issue.

The Role of PR in Social Media

PR professionals are experts in conversation. And conversation is an essential part of social media. Daily monitoring and damage control on social media should be in the hands of the PR agency or department. Brands without a human component are just empty slogans, and PR professionals are the best at giving brands a human face on social media. Some brands use social media for customer relationship management and customer service. I would argue that these practices on social media fall under the umbrella of PR.

The Role of Advertisers in Social Media

Yes, yes, conversations are great, but the best social media case studies show that brands need to create something extraordinary to spark conversations. No traditional PR agency or marketing guru could have achieved what the advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy did with the YouTube responses to Old Spice. Advertising agencies, unlike PR or marketing agencies, have the necessary resources to create professional video content on a personalized level. That is exactly what is needed to initiate conversations and achieve high view counts.Many advertising agencies have the necessary resources to expand social media beyond mere conversations and metrics. For example, if a brand wants to develop something using the Foursquare API, it usually turns to its regular advertising agency. Traditionally, PR agencies and marketing departments simply lacked the resources for interactive design or software development to carry out such projects.

The Role of Marketers in Social Media

The best thing about social media for brands is the high level of measurability. Facebook pages provide statistics. Google Analytics shows how many website visitors come through social media. There are numerous online tools to measure Twitter activity. If you haven't seen it yet, you should check out the "Foursquare Perspectives" tool from Awareness Inc. In the B2C sector, these tools are extremely valuable for marketers. I would even say that branding happens in marketing. Advertising contributes to brand awareness, and PR maintains the brand through communication, but the development and definition of a brand is the responsibility of marketers.

Reality  

In fact, these three areas are merging like never before. These industries will continue to evolve in the digital space and keep vying for dominance on social media. However, this is not because one area owns social media exclusively. Rather, the related skills are breaking down old boundaries. Marketing tactics are being applied in advertising agencies. Communication skills that were traditionally reserved for PR departments are being used by marketing professionals. PR departments are now creating charts and graphics for social media!

If you want to build a career in one of these industries, you should be aware that your skills need to cover a variety of these practices. Companies looking to enter the social media sector should focus more on resources and competencies than on the industry label on the company page. There are also agencies for digital and interactive design that set different standards for linking these practices—but that is a topic for another article.

The debate over social media ownership highlights a crucial truth for modern business: siloed departments and rigid boundaries are dissolving in the digital age. Success on any platform requires a seamless integration of skills—from the conversational empathy of PR to the data analytics of marketing. This necessity for cross-functional collaboration and resource efficiency is directly applicable to Human Resources. Just as PR, advertising, and marketing must converge for effective external communication, HR must leverage technology to unify its internal processes. IceHrm serves as the central platform that breaks down these internal silos, consolidating recruitment, performance management, and internal communication into one system. By providing a single source of truth for all employee data, IceHrm enables a holistic, efficient, and transparent approach to people management, ensuring that HR, like the best corporate communication efforts, operates as an integrated and strategic function.