You’ll have to get through the name-dropping and the fawning, and - admittedly - that may be more aggravating than navigating the Bourne Bridge on a summer Friday. But tucked inside this recent New York Times piece is an insightful look at how communication, and the subsequent role of public relations, forever has changed.

At its core, the piece (penned, ironically, by an old media flagship) reinforces the reduced role that traditional media plays in connecting brands with their target audiences. Consumers have access to information and thought leaders so many ways that it has transformed the definition of “mass media” from delivering information to the masses into the delivering of that information by the masses.

Key influencers no longer fit into a neat and well-defined group of news outlets and reporters. While those still play roles, they are not necessarily more important than a mushrooming collection of executives, analysts, observers and independent thinkers with no traditional media ties but powerful social media platforms to opine and inform directly with loyal audiences. These individuals can sway constituencies in as few as 140 characters and have significant appeal among consumers who have the choice to hear what they want to hear, when they want to hear and how they want to hear.

The challenge, as always, is identifying and engaging these influencers in a way that inspires a brand’s target audience. That said, “influencer relations” may just become a better fit than “media relations.”