Digital Public Relations and Trust Management: Toward an Interactive Model for Strengthening Relationships with Audiences in the Platform Era

Abstract

Institutional communication is undergoing a rapid transformation driven by the growing proliferation of digital platforms, which have reshaped the nature of relationships between organizations and their audiences and introduced new patterns of communication based on interaction, dialogue, transparency, and responsiveness.

     In this context, digital public relations has emerged as a strategic instrument for managing trust and cultivating sustainable relationships with audiences, extending beyond the conventional functions of information dissemination and organizational image enhancement. This study aims to analyze the role of digital public relations in managing trust and strengthening relationships between organizations and their audiences in the platform era, with particular emphasis on digital interaction, transparency, credibility, responsiveness, participation, and audience listening.

     The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to examine organizations’ communication practices across digital platforms and to identify how these practices contribute to building trust and strengthening relationships with audiences. The findings indicate that effective trust management in digital environments depends largely on organizations’ ability to move beyond one-way communication toward an interactive model grounded in dialogue, participation, and sustained responsiveness.

    Accordingly, the study proposes an interactive model of digital public relations centered on listening, dialogue, responsiveness, and participation as interconnected mechanisms for building trust and fostering sustainable relationships with audiences.