Public Relations Review 30 (2004) 269–278 Practitioners’ web use and perceptions of their own roles and power: a qualitative study Lynne M. Sallot a,* , Lance V. Porter b , Carolina Acosta-Alzuru a a Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA b Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA Received 16 May 2003; received in revised form 22 April 2004; accepted 1 May 2004 Abstract Four focus group discussions with 35 practitioners were guided by theory about roles from public relations litera- ture and power from strategic management literature to explore how World Wide Web use is related to practitioners’ perceptions of their own status and decision-making power. The web has become essential to public relations. Prac- titioners use the web extensively for research and evaluation, two-way communication, productivity and efficiency, issues management, and other applications. All four types of practitioners’ power, according to Finkelstein’s [Acad. Manage. J. 35 (3) (1992) 505–538] taxonomy—structural, expert, prestige and ownership—were enhanced by web use. Because, the web is such a great equalizer, web use may contribute to the blurring of practitioners’ roles. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Roles in public relations; Power in public relations; Practitioners’ web use 1. Introduction How does use of the World Wide Web by public relations practitioners affect perceptions of their own decision-making power, roles they play, and status they hold in their organizations? Since Broom and Smith’s (1979) initial five-role factors were pared to two manager–technician fac- tors (Dozier & Broom, 1995), practitioner roles have been a popular focus in public relations research. Recent research suggests public relations roles are more complicated than the manager–technician di- chotomy. Toth, Serini, Wright, and Emig (1998) found a third agency role emerging. Johnson (1997) suggested technology, such as the web, blurs distinctions between externally oriental “technicians” and * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 706 542 4999. E-mail address: sallot@uga.edu (L.M. Sallot). 0363-8111/$ – see front matter © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2004.05.002