Public Relations Roles and Functions in Government, Corporate, and Civil Society Organizations

The optimization of PR roles and functions helps determine the communication effectiveness between the organization and the public. However, different organizations can have different interpretations and implementations of PR roles and functions. By applying a qualitative method and multiple-case studies approach, this research seeks to understand the different practices of PR roles and functions in government, corporations, and civil society organizations in the digital era. Data is collected through semi-structured interviews with a total of 18 institutions and further analyzed through thematic analysis. The results of the study found that in this digital era, the most dominant PR roles are communication facilitator and technician with commonly found PR functions are internal relations, publicity, press agentry, lobbying, and managing public affairs. Digital media platforms are considered the most significant communication media for PR activities, especially Instagram and Twitter.