8. The Digital Shop Window: The Social Media Newsroom as a Communicative Hub

February 17, 2006: “Die! Press release! Die! Die! Die.” Tom Foremski, an influential journalist in Silicon Valley, had finally had enough of the many press releases sent to him. In his rage he formulated a sharp replica to all editors and senders of press releases. He wrote: “Press releases are nearly useless. (...) They typically start with a tremendous amount of top-spin, they contain pat-on-the-back phrases and meaningless quotes. Often, they will contain quotes from C-level executives praising their customer focus. They often contain praise from analysts, (who are almost always paid or have a customer relationship.) And so on (...). This madness has to end. It is wasted time and effort by hundreds of thousands of professionals” (Foremski 2006).