Reputation Management Online: America's "Right to Be Forgotten"

This book explores the work of public relations, technology, and legal professionals who provide online "reputation management" services, examining the implications of their practices for free speech and dignitary concerns in the digital environment. It argues that private solutions help to address novel concerns about reputation, but raise unique free speech and dignitary issues.

Format: Hardback
Length: 108 pages
Publication date: 21 February 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the realm of online reputation management, exploring the roles of public relations, technology, and legal professionals in this field. By situating their work within contemporary debates surrounding internet regulation, the author argues that while legal solutions such as the European "Right to Be Forgotten" may not be feasible in the United States, private reputation management practices offer valuable solutions to address emerging concerns about reputation. However, these practices also raise unique questions about free speech and dignitary rights in the digital environment.

Drawing upon a rich array of rhetorical and legal analysis, the book examines a diverse range of texts, including reputation management promotional materials, interviews with practitioners, legal cases, and popular online commentary on reputational disputes. Through this comprehensive approach, the book intervenes in specific debates about the regulation of the internet and broader socio-legal discussions about the role of reputation-damaging speech in a democratic society.

This timely and relevant study will be of immense value to students and scholars across a wide range of disciplines, including communication studies, public relations, rhetoric, new and digital media, internet law, technology and society, computer-mediated communication, and sociology. By shedding light on the complex dynamics of online reputation management, this book provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of digital communication and its implications for society.

Weight: 258g
Dimension: 142 x 223 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032262550