Future Roles for Communicators in Digital Media-Arenas: Boxturners and Global Diplomats

Digitalization is affecting not only the corporate communication function within organizations, but also giving rise to numerous new and unpredictable digitally-influenced societal issues. The more these changes occur, the greater the responsibility of communicators to monitor and manage these effects.

To make sense of these effects, a novel Digital Media-Arena (DMA) Framework is introduced. Furthermore, new roles are emerging for corporate communications in the digital realm.

Digitial media-arenas

The digital realm of diverse media platforms has activated new stakeholders and reduced organizations’ control over related communication. The DMA Framework provides a modern planning tool for communication professionals to engage with various actors, some of whom use digital tools (like AI and memes) to harm corporate reputations. It maps out a nuanced set of 14 established and emerging communication spaces that exist in the digital environment.

Five future corporate communication roles

Digital technology is not just disrupting the ability of corporate communications to engage with stakeholders across traditional and newly-emeriing media-arenas, it’s also reshaping corporate communication roles in organizations and society.

Community builder

Creating a sense of belonging is a key task for modern organizations. Through strategic communication and well-designed CSR and community programs, companies can build meaningful connections with stakeholders.

Focusing on sustainability, diversity, and inclusion helps organizations strengthen their public image, improve local quality of life, and boost internal engagement and employer branding.

Effective communication across channels, especially through Sponsored, Advocated, Shared, and Placed media, enables organizations to amplify their impact. Partnering with like minded groups and empowering employees as advocates further supports the development of strong, engaged communities.

Organizational conscience

As AI and machine learning become more integrated into organizational processes, ethical communication becomes essential. Communication professionals must act as the organizational conscience, ensuring that the use of AI and data meets stakeholder expectations and reflects corporate responsibility.

This includes addressing risks such as misinformation, data misuse, and unethical digital behavior, as well as working closely with legal and human resources to reduce harm and bias. Aligning communication with digital actions and confronting corporate washing are also key responsibilities.

Relevant media arenas include AI, curated, rented, and recycled formats. By anticipating conflicts and adjusting messaging, communicators help protect reputation and build lasting trust with stakeholders.

Co-creation enabler

Modern stakeholders have the power to influence organizations and expect to be part of the process. To support a stakeholder centered approach, organizations should embrace co creation, inviting people to contribute to products, services, and experiences.

Communication professionals are essential in designing these personalized experiences and creating open digital environments where participation is encouraged.

Owned digital marketing environments offer ideal spaces for co creation. Paid media can help attract attention and motivate both stakeholders and employees to engage in meaningful collaboration.

Boxturner

The digital realm holds organizations accountable. With information about products and services easily found and shared, transparency is no longer optional. Digital history and consumer voices can quickly trigger reputational risks.

As conscious consumerism grows, communication professionals must adopt a boxturning role, ensuring consistency, honesty, and clarity across all digital platforms. This includes framing messages effectively and making organizational processes more transparent.

Boxturning depends on how well messages align with stakeholder expectations. If communication fails to resonate, even well intended messages can create backlash.

Global dimplomat

Global organizations face increasing complexity in their communication as they navigate cultural and societal differences. Digital technologies and social media platforms have polarized opinions, leading to outrage against institutions and brands. Balancing international tensions is challenging, and organizations often pick sides in cross-national crises.

Corporate communicators must understand the pressures and organizational behaviors that can trigger division and prioritize speaking versus listening.

Implications for corporate communication

The DMA Framework identifies 14 communication spaces where digital communication occurs between organizations and stakeholders. It reveals where communication can and cannot be controlled and suggests four complementary actions for communication professionals: innovate, empower, reflect, and monitor. In controlled DMAs, innovation encourages co-creation, community building empowers stakeholders, reflecting ensures AI protection, and monitoring monitors stakeholder and public communication in the digital echoverse. Prioritizing listening over speaking is crucial for effective digital corporate communication.

About the article

The article was published in the Corporate Communication Review. The magazine offers research-based, practice-oriented insights for communication professionals worldwide and is published by the Academic Society for Management & Communication, in collaboration with the Institute for Public Relations, EUPRERA, and the EACD.

Download

The article can be downloaded here.

Cite this article: Luoma-aho, V. & Badham, M. (2025). Future roles for communicators in digital media-arenas: Boxturners and global diplomats. Corporate Communication Review, 1(1), 31–39. https://doi.org/10.63904/ccr.v1i1.9