Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Contemporary global culture, rooted in neoliberalism and free market forces, increasingly emphasises appearance over substance. People and organisations are judged by image and reputation while social media encourages and enables us to develop our own public persona. This book explores the rise of promotional communication with a particular focus on public relations (PR) and its role. Organisations, from local charities to multinational corporations, employ professional PR staff to manage promotional communication, and even public institutions must position themselves in the marketplace to secure funding and approval. To what extent has PR contributed to this culture and its darker aspects of false narratives and fake news? This book posits that the antidote to this trend of diminishing substance is 'depth communication' which builds on the best theory and practice to develop forms of communication built on dialogue with self and others, and offers a counterargument to the superficiality distorting our collective culture. Proposing a new foundation for the conceptualization of public relations, this book has profound implications for both public relations and will interest all scholars of the changing communication environment"-- Provided by publisher.