New research fellow Ejae Lee aims to define the many meanings of authenticity

September 28, 2023 • Jonathan McVerry

Ejae Lee has her eye on authenticity. Specifically, the recent Ph.D. graduate and adjunct professor at Indiana University is interested in how companies in different countries can maintain authenticity among customers, employees and other stakeholders. And if these groups see the company as inauthentic, why? Lee is also interested in learning about authenticity in leadership and communication when it comes to emerging social initiatives. She focuses her work on authenticity in the public relations context as well, which led to her research fellowship with the Page Center. As a research fellow, Lee will lead an international study over two years on authenticity in corporate social advocacy. Lee became a Page Center scholar in 2021. This is her first time as a research fellow. In this Q&A interview, Lee discusses her research interests, as well as her plans and expectations for her project with the Page Center.

What is it about authenticity that makes you interested in it? What is driving your work in this area?

During the first semester of my master's program at Indiana University, I took a PR theory class and wrote my first paper about authenticity in PR. At the time, a leadership crisis occurred in South Korea, which resulted in President Park's impeachment. This crisis was linked to another leadership crisis at my alma mater, Ewha Womans University in Seoul. From observing these events, I realized that the root cause of the crises was a lack of authenticity. This experience sparked my interest in exploring the concept of authenticity in leadership and PR. I began to ask myself questions such as, what does authenticity mean, and how can leaders communicate more authentically?

Furthermore, how can authenticity help organizations and leaders establish strong relationships with their audiences? Since then, I have been studying authenticity in PR. In PR, authenticity is one of the most important topics – especially right now. Particularly when organizations take a stance on controversial or socio-political issues. Reports and research articles in the PR industry emphasize that authenticity is the most crucial factor to consider in such situations.

Do you have an example of a company that is seen as authentic and/or inauthentic?

After the [2018 Parkland] school shooting in Florida, Dick’s Sporting Goods made a bold move by taking a stance on gun control. They pulled certain guns from their shelves. Following their lead, Walmart took the same stance. However, some people criticized Walmart, believing they were only following the actions of other companies and not authentically standing for the cause. People felt that Walmart was just following the other companies’ actions. A similar case, for example, is when Georgia changed its voting law two years ago. Georgia-based companies like Coca-Cola, Delta and Home Depot got a push from activists and consumers to take a stance on the law. While these companies did follow the expectations, some people viewed it as inauthentic because they believed the companies only did it under severe pressure rather than being driven by a genuine motive for the betterment of society. In other words, it seems like these companies are merely taking a stance to avoid losing profits.

You’re looking at different definitions of authenticity. What does that mean?

For my dissertation, I tried to define authenticity in organizational advocacy for social-political issues. This has now become the foundation of my current project at the Page Center. Authenticity is a very abstract and complex concept, and it can vary depending on the cultural context. Despite being a universal value, it is likely that different cultures and countries have their unique interpretations of authenticity. I wonder how global consumers or publics from diverse cultures perceive authenticity. I think knowing that can help organizations communicate more authentically and effectively with their global audience.

Can you share an example of a country or culture that has a different view of authenticity than Americans?

For example, South Korea and the United States share many similarities compared to other Northeast Asian countries, but in South Korea, it is not common for companies, especially for-profit ones, to take a stance on social or political issues, especially in the context of South Korean business culture. But that might be changing when it comes to global issues. Throughout the world, Generation Z is interested in global issues like climate change. This shift is not limited to just one country or one culture, so in the next three to five years, I think it is likely that we will see a change in the expectations of South Korean consumers and public expectations. And that’s what I want to find out with this research through the Page Center.

What is the plan for your Page Center project?

I want to do a survey this semester. To understand how publics in different cultures or countries perceive authenticity, I will be surveying individuals from five different countries — the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, and South Korea. First, I will be getting translations for the surveys and then conduct pilot studies that will help me set up the main study. I plan to complete the data collection in the spring semester and hopefully present the results at AEJMC next summer. With the surveys, I can compare Asian countries with European countries, and the United States with Asian countries. With those results, there will be many ways to expand the study.

What kind of response do you expect from each of these countries?

I am planning to include a few open-ended questions in the survey. For example, what does authenticity mean to people in the UK? Or to consumers in Germany? The first part will be finding the implications of the different definitions or various attributes of authenticity, especially in terms of corporate social advocacy. Once I have a clear understanding of this, I will revisit the attributes of authenticity in CSA that I developed in my dissertation, namely consistency, truthfulness, impact, and persistence. I will then make adjustments based on my findings. I plan to use these elements in my stimuli and measure the practical implications that can be used in specific CSA messages.

What can you say about the Page Center and its support of your work?

Personally, I feel really honored. I'm a recent Ph.D. graduate and I am very passionate about research in PR and authenticity. I know the Page Center’s mission is to increase integrity and ethics in PR and public communication. I'm very happy to join and make this contribution to the area.