The social buyer: A framework for the dynamic role of social media in organizational buying

Abstract

Social media plays a central role in information and knowledge management to support business-to-business (B2B) buying decisions. To date, research has yet to delineate the mechanisms through which social media information relates to B2B buying and subsequent organizational outcomes. To describe this process, we build on social media's ability to facilitate conveyance and convergence processes within the buying unit enabling knowledge discovery, knowledge sharing, and knowledge interpretation. Based on an organizational knowledge framework, we derive propositions about the role of social media in B2B buying and delineate boundary conditions for its influence within the B2B buying unit and the organization. This research sets the foundation for future empirical work at the intersection of B2B and social media.