Employing Facebook as a Strategic Public Relations Tool in Digital Reputation Management: A Study of Palestinian Telecommunications Companies
Keywords:
Digital reputation, Public relations, Dialogic communication, Reputation management, social media platformsAbstract
The study aims to analyse the level of use of Facebook by public relations departments in the Palestinian telecommunications companies (Jawwal, Paltel, Ooredoo) as a strategic tool for digital reputation management, and to reveal the role of the nature of published content in shaping the public's attitudes towards the reputation of these companies. The study adopted a descriptive analytical approach and used two questionnaires based on the five-point Likert scale. Specifically, the study examines the impact of public relations communication strategies on Facebook, represented by media content and digital engagement, on the digital reputation of Palestinian telecommunications companies, as reflected in public perceptions, trust, and corporate image. The first targeted data collection from public relations employees in telecommunications companies (30 employees) and from a sample of Facebook users (220). The study concluded that the level of use of Facebook by Palestinian telecommunications companies for digital reputation management was high, with an overall average of 4.16 (83%). The degree of direct use of the platform in reputation management ranked first at 88%, consistent with the results of international studies that confirm the importance of interactive digital communication in building institutional reputation. The study emphasises the importance of enhancing the use of dialogue theory in managing communication through Facebook to increase interaction, build trust, and develop digital content strategies that rely on transparency and immediate response to improve and sustain digital reputation.
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