Beyond Followers: Why PR Needs to Think in Digital Communities, Not Platforms

Audiences aren’t randomly scattering across platforms. They’re deliberately engineering their own information ecosystems, and that changes everything for PR and digital comms.In this episode of the PRCA Views Podcast, we’re joined by Chloe Partikas and Chloe Platts from FleishmanHillard’s digital team to unpack their latest research into digital fragmentation.Based on 200+ online interviews across the UK and US with Gen Z, healthcare professionals, IT decision makers and the C‑suite, they identify 5 forces of fragmentation that explain why audiences are leaving mainstream feeds for niche, trusted communities.We talk about:- The trust recession: misinformation, AI content and declining faith in platforms & media- Platform bloat: when every app copies every other app, and users quietly leave- Why social gravity now outweighs platform gravity (people follow people, not brands)- Authenticity sensitivity: how overly produced content can now hurt credibility- Self‑curation as a survival skill: how busy professionals aggressively filter sources- What does all this mean for PR strategy, influencer work and measurementIf you’re still planning campaigns around “being on every platform” and counting success in headline volume alone, this conversation will help you rethink where your audiences really are and how to reach them.Connect:Website: FleishmanHillardhttps://fleishmanhillard.com📈 For more audience insights, read the full report: https://fleishmanhillard.co.uk/2026/03/the-era-of-intentional-fragmentation/LinkedIn: Adrian Ma - Fanclub PR Website: https://www.fanclubpr.com/LinkedIn: Ike MgbenweluPRCA Fuse (Podcast Producer): [email protected]: Views expressed by the guest are their own and not necessarily endorsed by the Fuse podcast.