Organizational members' use of online social networks and their job satisfaction: a social cognitive perspective

Abstract

PurposeThis study utilized “social cognitive theory” to compare the impacts of organizational members' hedonic and work-related use of public social networks (SNs) and enterprise social networks (ESNs) on job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe participants comprised 240 employees who were able to simultaneously use SNs and ESNs in the workplace with regard to both hedonic and work-related motives. The measurement and structural models were evaluated using partial least squares structural equations modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results show that organizational members' hedonic and work-related use of public SNs enhances job satisfaction. However, the hedonic and work-related use of ESNs has negative and positive impacts on job satisfaction respectively.Originality/valueThe main theoretical contribution of this study lies in showing that employees' use of social networks does not necessarily entail detrimental or beneficial consequences and depending on different factors the outcomes are different. Following a comprehensive review of the literature, users' incentives and platforms emerged as two different factors contributing to the outcomes arising from the use of social networks in the workplace. Although a few studies have explored the impacts of organizational members' use of social networks on job satisfaction, none have done so in relation to different user incentives and platforms.