Professor,
School of Advertising and Public Relations,
University of Tennessee Knoxville, USA

Michael Kent is a Professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations in the College of Communication and Information, at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Kent conducts research on New Technology, Mediated Communication, Dialogue, International Communication, and Web Communication. Kent’s research has appeared in public relations, management, and communication journals including Public Relations Review, Management Communication Quarterly, The Journal of Public Relations Research, Gazette, Communication Studies, Critical Studies in Media Communication, and others. Kent Received his Doctorate from Purdue University, and his Master’s from the University of Oregon.

Title and Abstract:

A Meta Analysis of Persuasion in Social Media: Merging Theory and Practice

Currently, more than a billion websites, tens of millions of blogs, and tens of thousands of social media sites exist, and yet, exploration of the intercultural, dialogic, relational, and persuasive communication possibilities have barely scratched the surface. Although the communication tools of the Internet and social media have become part of the fabric of public relations over the last two decades, scholars have spent more time trying to explain the uses of the various interfaces, than they have exploring how to use social media and websites strategically and persuasively. This essay conducts a meta analysis of social media research in public relations, a meta analysis of social media news and member websites (including major international sites like Weibo, WeChat, Renren, CyWorld, VKontakte, and others), and an overview of the persuasion and communication principles that are possible in social media, as a means of demonstrating the possibilities that exist for organizations and professional communicators when using social media.
 

List of Speakers