13 Introduction and general overview The question of whether the media in its usage of technology acts to modify the society or whether it tunes itself to societal influences is three-pronged, provoking an interwoven link between the media, technology and society. Key issues could be identified in this provocation, of which one is the transmutation of processes in societies. It is on record that the evolution of most processes originates from the moulding, construction and general prism of the social structure, opinions, beliefs, societal values and culture of the people. It is also important to note that human societies have evolved over the decades with the changes experienced in the application of communication apparatuses. Humans have adopted varied technological tools for communication, with progressions to what is currently obtainable (Hallahan, 2013). Primordial African societies depended on gongs, drums and palm fronds as technologically mediated tools in signalling convergence of people to inform, sell, educate and mitigate crises which are further explored, reinforced and re-modified within existing norms (Wilson, 2005), while modern societies relied on the leverages provided by the print, electronic and digital media forms to gain traction and impetus. It is instructive to note that consumption and distribution of communication content had also benefitted immensely from the technological trajectories, with increased demand for information that is tailored to specific needs and audiences within media ecology. With the emergence of the coronavirus outbreak in every part of the world, and the new normal protocols, Nigerian societies have turned attention to the media beyond the previously held views and perceptions, and media processes such as public relations and advertising are greatly immersing themselves in the deployment of such media technologies. In the heat of the pandemic and related circumstances, it would have been difficult without the technologically driven media to reach the nooks and crannies of Nigerian society. Technologies such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Skype or any other audiovisual or video conference platform have provided platforms for transmutations and technologi- cal determinism. In the world of public relations and advertising (PRAD), this Technologies, media and the transmutation of public relations and advertising in Nigerian societies Presly Ruke Obukoadata, Ngozi Uduma and Macaulay Aniefiok DOI: 10.4324/9781003208747-13