Social media managers as intermediaries: negotiating the personal and professional in organisational communication

Abstract

ABSTRACTOrganisations are becoming increasingly reliant on social media for realising effective public engagement strategies, as well as managing branding and reputation. Nonetheless, traditional organisational external communications strategies have often proven to be unwieldy in developing and managing social media content. Instead, the development of organisational use of social media has often been reliant on the expertise of social media managers. This article explores some emergent characteristics of social media management in negotiating organisational reputation and management of employee use of social media for both external and internal communication. While substantial research exists about social media in organisations, there has been less focus on the pivotal role played by human ‘intermediaries’, such as social media managers, to negotiate the fraught ecology of online communication on behalf of organisations. The article utilises interviews with Australia social media managers to discuss their role in negotiating and legitimising new communication practices using social media.