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Tuesday, March 21, 2023

South Africa in the dark! #Eskomloadshedding.

 

South Africa in the dark! #Eskomloadshedding.

Advantages and disadvantages of using social media as a public relations professional in addressing the #eskomloadshedding issue.

(Photo courtesy: Krugersdorp news)
Eskom load shedding is the deliberate and controlled interruption of electricity supply to specific areas by Eskom, South Africa's state-owned electricity supplier. Load shedding is used when the demand for electricity exceeds the available supply, which can cause the entire power grid to fail. Load shedding is common in South Africa due to a variety of factors including aging infrastructure, insufficient investment in new power generation capacity, and environmental concerns.

 Advantages of using social media as a public relations professional in addressing the #Eskomloadshedding issue.  

As public relations professionals, social media platforms have become a safe space for us to share our perspectives on a particular issue, and with the help of web 2.0, we have been given the ability to communicate with a large audience and receive feedback. Eskom has created a media room online which public relations work is made easier for the public to access media release and enquire any relevant issues. Load shedding is typically announced in advance so that people can know.

Disadvantages of using social media as a public relations professional in addressing the #Eskomloadshedding issue.

When it comes to social media one needs to be careful because some people use it for varied reasons. Negative feedback may be one of those reasons. Some people on social media may comment negative after the public relations practitioner has addressed the matter of #Eskomloadshedding. That could lead to bad engagement of the situation and then the public relations job becomes threatened. People on social media posts misleading information about #Eskomloadshedding matter and that results into many problems in public relations. Most people have lost their jobs because companies are failing without electric power and fuel price is high for them to buy back up generators, so they have to shorten their staff.

(Photo courtesy: Caxton Local Media)

My recommendations to my fellow public relations professionals in dealing with #Eskomloadshedding issue.

Proper research must be done before addressing the issue to avoid some glitches. When dealing with the large audience it is impossible to reach fully satisfaction. So it is better to be honest and ensure that your relationship with your sources is complex and with facts only involved. Inform the public with the correct information for example addresses on what is the reasons behind loadshedding and allow feedback from the publics to engage better. It is very important to look on every side that is affected by the matter.

                                                (Photo courtesy: BizNews)
labels: #Eskomloadshedding, Public relations
location: Johannesburg, South Africa 




13 comments:

  1. The information on #eskom loadshedding is well articulated in regard to social media and as a Public Relations Practitioner.

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  2. It is high time that people addresses the social impact that causes a misfortune to our nation and most especially to the countries economy

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    1. yes, some companies are being shutdown because they cannot afford the back generators that require fuel. The fuel price is high and people are losing their jobs lastly the inflation is a disaster. PRP's work hard using social media to tackle the matter and it is hard because they are also affected by loadshedding.

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  3. The structure is good and with information i understand that the loadshedding can affect the public relations negative because of the misleading information

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  4. Thanks for sharing a well informative blog,
    The role of PR Practitioners on social media during this huge pandemic of loadshedding is well outlined on your blog.

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  5. it is my duty to newsfeed my readers, thank you.

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  6. This was good read, Loadshedding is really affecting us. Very informative

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  7. , I think your content is great. I liked your explanation on load-shedding and eskom need to communicate more effectively

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  9. Even though we as Public relations practitioners we have to address our audience,it is not easy with this loadshedding because it seems like we are going to live with it forever,only we have to do is adjust

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  10. what a masterpiece, i like how you outline your views , your blog is informative.

    ReplyDelete

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