本研究旨在探讨大数据时代公共关系的战略性本质。 通过对大中华地区30个资深公共关系从业者和新闻传播学者的深度访谈，并运用扎根理论进行探索性分析，研究发现：一、大数据时代促使中国公共关系在职业领域、教育领域和研究领域都发生了“战略转向”。尤其是职业领域正面临着一场“去公关化”和“公关化”的博弈，产生有趣的“围城现象”，基于此，本研究提出了一个大数据公关实践的权变模型和权变词云图；二、大数据时代促使中国公共关系专业教育领域呈现“被整合”和“跨学科”发展趋势，开始出现“唱衰纸媒”和“转岗公关”的讨论；三、新闻传播学术研究领域正在引入“战略传播”新范式。“阳谋论”和“阴谋论”之辩是中国公关学术研究的一个热点议题；四、本研究最后提出“公关即战略”的理论命题。

This paper aims to discuss strategic nature of public relations in the big data era. By indepth interviews with 30 Chinese public relations scholars and practitioners in the Greater China region basing on grounded theory, we found that: 1. Big data era has impelled a “strategic turn”in education, research, and practice in China’spublic relations. There is an interesting“Besieged city” phenomenon manifesting the tension between“de-institutionalizing public relations” and “institutionalizing public relations” in practice. Based on this phenomenon, this study proposes a Contingency Model of Public Relations and a words cloud graph.2. Big data era has geared public relations education in China towards being integrated and transdisciplinary. Debate on “down-playing news”and“up-playing public relations”appeared.3. A new Paradigm of Strategic Communication has been introduced in communication education. Discussion of “positive public relations” and “negative public relations” became a hot topic. 4. This paper finally puts forward the theoretical proposition of “public relations strategy”.