THE IMPACT OF FACEBOOK ON PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE IN CENTRAL ETHIOPIA REGIONAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION AFFAIRS BUREAU

ABSTRACT The arrival of social Media has influenced the way Public Relations practiced in various institutions. Empirical evidences indicated that the invention of social media is impacting the field of communication. This study was conducted to examine how Facebook impacted the PRs practice in Central Ethiopia Region Government communication Bureaus. A mixed-method approach with a descriptive survey design was followed in the study. Primary data was collected from a random sample of 110 Public Relations Practitioners of the aforementioned Region and also town administrations. Qualitative data were collected from 4 purposively selected Public relations office officials in the four Zone of the region. The findings show that Facebook positively and negatively impacted communication in the PRs offices of the region. The study suggested that the region should provide appropriate training for the practitioners especially on the ethical issues of PRs. Besides, the practitioners should give quick responses for the audience. Therefore, filling these gaps will help the region communication office to provide healthy communication service for the publics and that will help to promote transparency and accountability among the offices.