“The Role of Social Media in Public Relations of Social Work” was discussed in Congress

Academician of European University of Lefke (EUL) Department of Social Services Assist. Prof. Dr. Özge Özgür Bayır participated in the 2^nd International Conference on New Horizons on Educational and Social Sciences (ICES – 2019) and represented EUL.

Bayır stated that the congress, which aims to create a platform on the problems, developments and changes in all fields of education and social sciences, brings together scientists from various parts of the world and that it is a meaningful activity that enables the follow-up of problems, changes and developments in the field of human and social sciences. Bayır pointed out that in the congress, she presented her study titled “The Role of Social Media in Public Relations of Social Work” that she prepared with Assist. Prof. Dr. Enis Faslı and Süleyman Bedri Kalyoncuoğlu and gave information about the study.

The development of new communication environment enhances the power of social media

Bayır said that “The development of new communication environments, increasing interest in information communication technologies from all segments, enhances the power of social media. In the simplest way, public relations practices, which can be defined as the use of communication to establish relations with the target audience or groups, have not been indifferent to the developments in information and communication technologies. Therefore, the use of this power in public relations has become inevitable” and added that the usage of social media with the aim of public relations is becoming increasingly common.

Bayır also said that “Social work as an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, freedom and empowerment of people, a practice-based profession, and social services provided by the public, civil society and the private sector to ensure the well-being of people and the social services provided by the private sector in order to ensure the well-being of people  have been a character that renews itself and recounts to society” and added that with the widespread use of social media and its visible impact on users, social services whose recognition and awareness has been increasing in Turkey has started to benefit from this field in terms of public relations.

The importance of Public Relations studies is continuously increasing

Bayır said that, in the study the role of social media in the recognition and promotion of social work and social services (public relations) and ethical violations were put forth and discussed and added that although social work as a profession of problem solving, humanitarian aid, social justice and human rights has now become universally self-evident, there is a need for recognition and promotion efforts, both for the right perception and implementation of the profession, and for its prestige.

Pointing out that in this concept the importance of Public Relations studies is continuously increasing, Bayır stated that “Social media, one of the most important tools of public relations in the recent period, contains both important resources and opportunities and also difficulties and risks in public relations of social service. Current social media practices can further root out the misconceptions of social work. This perception is an important obstacle not only for the practice and prestige of the profession, but also for social change and development. Therefore, efforts should be accelerated in order to implement and implement measures at the level of education, research and practice on the use of social media in public relations of social service”.