Date

4-2011

Department

Communication Studies

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Chair

Stuart S. Schwartz

Primary Subject Area

Mass Communications

Keywords

dialogue, Facebook, Fortune 500, new media, social media, Twitter

Abstract

This paper investigates the manner in which the companies engage various publics in the realm of social media. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the type of communication Fortune 500 companies use in their social media presence. Analyzing the web sites, Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts of 21 Fortune 500 companies, the present study assesses the dialogic efforts of these companies using Kent and Taylor's (1998) five dialogic principles. Results suggest that the researched companies have an established social media presence. The accounts are developed but not distinctly dialogic. Further research may assess the quality of the relationships between companies and their publics and investigate potential ways of improving them.

Download

Share

COinS