While much talk and ink, electronic or otherwise, has been spilt over the utilisation of wide-band information technologies to disseminate views, ideas and promote interests either on a corporate or state level in the international scene, the advantages and disadvantages of embracing such technologies are not so clearly cut.
The corporations, states or other entities that embrace information communication technologies to further their aim and put forth their stake in a multi-polar, extremely competitive world, make themselves vulnerable while enjoying the advantages such an approach brings forth.
While there is no doubt that embracing information technologies has greatly helped in bolstering economies, promoting ideas or interests that benefit its source etc, these technologies make their transmission point vulnerable to all sorts of attacks, just by the act of their very use.
Cybercrime, cyber-attacks to critical infrastructures either on a state or company level (attacking the operational functions of a modern hydro-electric plant or the inner network of a multi-million company for example) are easier to set up and accomplish due to the very use of the infrastructure that allows them to operate.
Another problem within the same context is the utilisation of social media such as Twitter or Instagram to introduce and disseminate messages.
While such media have given us unfettered access to populations of a very diverse nature ( age, educational level, financial status, etc.), they also allow the dilution or outright rejection of the original message the originator wished to convey while allowing the responding parties to deliver their own counter-messages.
Technology and its scope cannot be possibly studied in a historical context when seeking new ways and methods to promote one’s messages and interests.
In order to promote an entity’s interests and for it to be able to compete amongst the global leadership in its sphere of operations, a multi-pronged information relations technological approach must be employed.
A brief mention of two prongs of such an approach will thus be discussed summarily.
Firstly, innovation – a strategic imperative that must be seen as having and acquiring further natural resources if a state analogy is used.
Innovation may lead to further influence and must be seen as a strategic imperative in any political or commercial entity.
Seeking to innovate constantly assesses the ability of the entity to adapt to ever-changing situations, strive to lead and does not leave complacency to mission creep within its inner workings.
Secondly, authority, the ability to project its command of its field and within its spheres of influence. To paraphrase the well-known aphorism, Caesar’s wife must appear to be an authority on its field to the targeted external audiences rather than just being one.
If authority is projected with great efficacy, via the use of information technologies, the messages disseminated from the entity in question (political, commercial etc.) will carry more weight when targeting selected populations while enhancing status.
Such consulting on information relations by Strategy International may and will help all its recipients to achieve their prescribed goals.
