Social media and knowledge management: A perfect couple

Abstract

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017. This chapter forms the introduction to the Social Knowledge Management book. Prying back in time, the chapter first discusses the history of knowledge management and social media. Their emergence, evolution and difficulties are elaborated. Then, the revitalization of knowledge management by social media, through communities, networking and other technologies, is explained and illustrated. Furthermore, it is explained how the synthesis of knowledge management and social media opened even new avenues for both scholars and practitioners, through analyzing digital traces and the employment of the wisdom of the crowd. The chapter continues by providing an overview of its chapters and illustrates how every chapter informs the reader about novel theories and applications of social media for knowledge management in business or societal contexts. The reader is left with insight in the successes and challenges faced by these endeavors and therefore, this chapter concludes with a sneak preview for each of the chapters, inviting the reader to stat their journey into the realm of social knowledge management as it stands in current day science and practice.