Public Relations: An Overlooked Skill

I've been sitting here for a while trying to write drafts of this blog. To pull back the curtain a bit, this whole site is part of my Masters program at Full Sail University. That being said, I try to make anything assignment-related as natural and 'real world' as possible. I can usually write a blog post about a topic, tie it enough into coursework to check all the boxes, hit post, and finish out the course on a strong note.

I had every intent of doing that this month too. Generate an image, throw together a blog post, get an easy grade.

Then came time to actually write. Now, I'm sitting here typing, deleting, getting distracted, writing, deleting... you get the picture.

Truth is, I can't think of just one topic that stood out to me this month. I came into this class expecting Internet Public Relations to be you know, public relations on the internet. Maybe learning how to write a press release and a little social media work, right? Wrong.

I'm now fascinated by Public Relations. Starting out learning about the SkyMavis Ronin Bridge hack drew me in immediately, because the world of cryptocurrency is completely unknown to me. Tying that case into the ethical considerations of projects like the Stanford and Milgram Experiments led me deeper down the rabbit hole. By the time I watched The Century of the Self, I already felt uneasy about the ethical implications we'd been seeing. Learning about Edward Bernays only further grew my personal bias about manipulation in media.

Then, just like that, we were in charge of responding to a crisis. Suddenly it was easy to find shades of gray and justification for ethical missteps. In the case of SkyMavis, I went into it thinking that there was no justification for the breach. They created the program, they had the nodes, their employee is the one who caused the leak. However, putting myself into SkyMavis' shoes, I was able to paint a narrative that presented them in a positive light. Learning how much narrative and sources matter, it gave me a much better understanding of making sure I choose the right words and delivery methods.

I realize now how nuanced Public Relations can be now more than ever. This class has inspired me to keep learning about the trade, and has inspired an interest in learning more and diving deeper. This class has personally and professionally developed my thinking in unprecendented ways. Though not all readers have access to the class I'm referring to, I would suggest Public Relations as a discipline you should learn about through whichever avenues are available.