Organizational Social Media Research Articles

#BlackLivesMatter: Innovative Black Resistance

Since 2013, extrajudicial police killings of black people have captured the attention of U.S. and international media, substantially because of the work of leaders in the Black Lives Matter (#BLM) movement. #BLM is simultaneously a group of localized organizations and a broad online social movement. In this article, we examine the #BLM movement in detail, with particular emphasis on the following aspects of the movement: (1) its innovative organizational practices and social media use; (2) its accent on black perspectives (counterframing) of systemic racial oppression, heteronormativity, and capitalism; and (3) its broad emphasis on oppressed Americans, including black women and LGBTQ people. We also situate the #BLM movement within the surrounding system of racial oppression, including the historical role of racialized policing in maintaining social control of blacks. We detail the long tradition of black social movements, especially black feminist organizing, against systemic racial oppression. In doing so, we intend to contribute social movement theorizing that more fully considers powerful counterframed perspectives of black activists in U.S. social movements. Although the #BLM movement reflects black feminism and past civil rights movement struggles, it is a uniquely twenty‐first‐century social movement that uses new technologies for innovative social protest.

Experiences of Using a Consumer-Based Mobile Meditation App to Improve Fatigue in Myeloproliferative Patients: Qualitative Study.

BackgroundMyeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) patients suffer from long-term symptoms and reduced quality of life. Mindfulness meditation is a complementary therapy shown to be beneficial for alleviating a range of cancer-related symptoms; however, in-person meditation interventions are difficult for cancer patients to attend. Meditation via a mobile phone app represents a novel approach in MPN patients for delivering meditation.ObjectiveThe study aimed to report MPN patients’ (ie, naïve or nearly naïve meditators) perceptions of meditation and explore their experiences in the context of using a mobile phone for meditation after participation in an 8-week consumer-based meditation app feasibility study.MethodsMPN patients (n=128) were recruited nationally through organizational partners and social media. Eligible and consented patients were enrolled into 1 of 4 groups, 2 that received varying orders of 2 consumer-based apps (10% Happier and Calm) and 2 that received one of the apps alone for the second 4 weeks of the 8-week intervention after an educational control condition. Participants were asked to perform 10 min per day of mobile phone-based meditation, irrespective of the app and order in which they received the apps. At the conclusion of the study, participants were asked whether they would like to participate in a 20-min phone interview comprising 9 to 10 questions to discuss their perceptions and experiences while using the mobile phone meditation apps. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and imported into NVivo 12 (QSR International) for coding and analysis, using a combination of deductive and inductive methods to organize the data, generate categories, and develop themes and subthemes.ResultsA total of 48 MPN patients completed postintervention interviews, of which 29% (14/48) of the patients only used the 10% Happier app, 21% (10/48) of the patients only used the Calm app, and 46% (22/48) of the patients used both apps during the 8-week intervention. Themes identified in the analysis of interview data related to (1) perceptions of meditation before, during, and after the study, (2) perceptions of the Calm app, (3) perceptions of the 10% Happier app, (4) perceived impacts of using the meditation apps, (5) overall experiences of participating in the study, (6) recommendations surrounding meditation for other MPN patients, and (7) plans to continue meditation.ConclusionsThe qualitative findings of this study suggest that MPN patients who are naïve or nearly naïve meditators perceived mobile phone meditation as enjoyable, preferred the Calm app over the 10% Happier app, perceived the Calm app as more appealing (eg, narrator’s voice and different meditations or background sounds offered), and perceived beneficial effects of meditation on mental health, sleep, fatigue, and pain. Future research is needed to better understand the efficacy of mobile phone meditation on MPN patient outcomes and meditation app design features that enhance uptake among its users.

What followers are saying about transformational leaders fostering employee innovation via organisational learning, knowledge sharing and social media use in public organisations?

This study uses diffusion of innovation theory to determine the relationship between transformational leadership and employee innovation via the mediation of organisational learning and knowledge sharing, as well as to examine the moderating role of social media use. A total of 375 employees and supervisors were recruited via random sampling from 89 municipal committees (one of the tiers of local government organisations) in Pakistan. Results indicate that transformational leadership has a positive impact on organisational learning and knowledge sharing. Similarly, organisational learning and knowledge sharing have a significant impact on employee innovation. Likewise, transformational leadership indirectly influenced employee innovation via organisational learning and knowledge sharing. Surprisingly, the moderating influence of social media use on the relationship between organisational learning and employee innovation proved insignificant. However, social media use had a significant effect on the relationship between knowledge sharing and employee innovation. This study provides informative insights by demonstrating that public sector leaders undertaking the transformational role and encouraging followers to use organisational learning, knowledge sharing and social media can help facilitate employee innovation in the public sector.

Attracting applicants through the organization's social media page: Signaling employer brand personality

The purpose of this study is to examine how potential applicants' exposure to an organization's social media page relates to their subsequent organizational attractiveness perceptions and word-of-mouth intentions. Based on signaling theory and the theory of symbolic attraction, we propose that potential applicants rely on perceived communication characteristics of the social media page (social presence and informativeness) as signals of the organization's employer brand personality (warmth and competence), which in turn relate to organizational attractiveness and word-of-mouth. Data were gathered in a simulated job search process in which final-year students looked for an actual job posting and later visited an actual organization's social media page. In line with our hypotheses, results show that the perceived social presence of a social media page was indirectly positively related to attractiveness and word-of-mouth through its positive association with perceived organizational warmth. Perceived informativeness was indirectly positively related to these outcomes through its positive association with perceived organizational competence. In addition, we found that social presence was also directly positively related to organizational attractiveness. These findings suggest that organizations can use social media pages to manage key recruitment outcomes by signaling their employer brand personality.

Privacy violations and mobile streaming video: examining organizational social media policies and Antonio Brown’s Facebook live stream

Mobile streaming video technology via social media has given anyone the ability to become a broadcaster. However, the platform’s simultaneous recording and distributing of video make privacy violations inevitable. One such violation occurred in January 2017 when football player Antonio Brown was recording a Facebook Live stream in the locker room and captured his head coach making profane remarks about an opponent. Brown’s use of social media in the locker room violated National Football League policy. This study uses communication privacy management theory to understand how this privacy breach occurred, how it could have been avoided, and how organizational social media policies can be crafted to avoid future privacy breaches. From the analysis of this privacy breakdown, recommendations are made about how social media and mobile streaming can be used within organizations, how social media policies can be crafted, and how similar breakdowns of privacy can be avoided in the future.

Should employees be “dooced” for a social media post? The role of social media marketing governance

Instances of employees being ‘dooced’ because of a social media post are becoming commonplace. Three research questions are presented to better understand workplace firings due to social media posts using justice theory and social convergence to fit within the nomological net. The first question examines employees' awareness of their employer's social media policy. The second question examines the role of offensiveness in the perceived fairness of the termination. The third question asks whether work-related posts (social convergence) and the presence of a social media policy (social media governance) influence the perception of termination fairness. Two data collection efforts are presented to test the research questions. The research findings extend the social media marketing governance literature by incorporating role theory and script theory. Managerial implications include the importance of developing and communicating to employees the organization's social media policies.

Smartphone-Based Meditation for Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Patients: Feasibility Study to Inform Future Trials.

BackgroundMyeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) patients often report high symptom burden that persists despite the best available pharmacologic therapy. Meditation has gained popularity in recent decades as a way to manage cancer patient symptoms.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of 2 different consumer-based meditation smartphone apps in MPN patients and to examine the limited efficacy of smartphone-based meditation on symptoms compared with an educational control group.MethodsPatients (n=128) were recruited nationally through organizational partners and social media. Eligible and consented patients were enrolled into 1 of 4 groups, 2 of which received varying orders of 2 consumer-based apps (10% Happier and Calm) and 2 that received one of the apps alone for the second 4 weeks of the 8-week intervention after an educational control condition. Participants were asked to perform 10 min of meditation per day irrespective of the app and the order in which they received the apps. Feasibility outcomes were measured at weeks 5 and 9 with a Web-based survey. Feasibility outcomes were acceptability, demand, and limited efficacy for depression, anxiety, pain intensity, sleep disturbance, sexual function, quality of life, global health, and total symptom burden.ResultsA total of 128 patients were enrolled across all 4 groups, with 73.4% (94/128) patients completing the intervention. Of the participants who completed the 10% Happier app, 61% (46/76) enjoyed it, 66% (50/76) were satisfied with the content, and 77% (59/76) would recommend to others. Of those who completed the Calm app, 83% (56/68) enjoyed it, 84% (57/68) were satisfied with the content, and 97% (66/68) would recommend to others. Of those who completed the educational control, 91% (56/61) read it, 87% (53/61) enjoyed it, and 71% (43/61) learned something. Participants who completed the 10% Happier app averaged 31 (SD 33) min/week; patients completing the Calm app averaged 71 (SD 74) min/week. 10% Happier app participants saw small effects on anxiety (P<.001 d=−0.43), depression (P=.02; d=−0.38), sleep disturbance (P=.01; d=−0.40), total symptom burden (P=.13; d=−0.27), and fatigue (P=.06; d=−0.30), and moderate effects on physical health (P<.001; d=0.52). Calm app participants saw small effects on anxiety (P=.29; d=−0.22), depression (P=.09; d=−0.29), sleep disturbance (P=.002; d=−0.47), physical health (P=.005; d=0.44), total symptom burden (P=.13; d=−0.27), and fatigue (P=.13; d=−0.27). Educational control participants (n=61) did not have effects on any patient-reported outcome except for a moderate effect on physical health (P<.001; d=0.77).ConclusionsDelivering meditation via the Calm app is feasible and scored higher in terms of feasibility when compared with the 10% Happier app. The Calm app will be used to implement a randomized controlled trial, testing the effects of meditation on symptom burden in MPNs.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03726944; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03726944 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/77MVdFJwM)

A morphological review of enterprise social media literature

ABSTRACTIntroduction of Enterprise Social Media (ESM) in organizations is driven by a need to improve communication and knowledge sharing within the enterprise. Studies show that soon after ESM adoption, there is some initial enthusiasm and subsequently there is a perceptible drop in usage. A review of ESM literature in a morphological framework, with the aim of demystifying the troubling trend, is presented here. Morphological analysis of literature helps exhibit relevant work on ESM in a framework consisting of dimensions and options from which insights can be derived. The framework developed depicts ESM literature through seven dimensions – organizational level factors influencing ESM, unit of analysis, business objectives of ESM adoption, individual level factors influencing ESM, theoretical framework used, outcomes of adoption, and context of ESM implementation. For each of the dimensions, relevant options were explored and listed. Preliminary observation indicates that at an individual level, themes such as absorptive capacity and lurking behavior of individuals need to be studied in the context of ESM. At an organizational level, the impact of human resources (HR) policies on ESM adoption, uses of ESM for internal crowdsourcing need to be evaluated. Practitioners can use these findings to assess and design their ESM strategies and for academicians, the morphological framework reveals the state of current research in the field and identifies gaps for further research in specific areas of ESM.

Framing organizational social media: a longitudinal study of a hotel chain

The development of social media in the past decade has transformed the hospitality and tourism industry. There is, however, limited empirical research on how individual employees and groups of employees within organizations make sense of new technology, such as social media, over time. In this paper we focus on the individual and organizational level by exploring how hotel employees and managers make sense of organizational social media over a 4-year period. The perceived usefulness of social media is studied in an organizational setting by applying technological frames as a theoretical framework. The study is a longitudinal case study that includes time both during and after the implementation of social media in an international hotel chain in Europe. A total of 37 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted at 14 hotels as well as additional observations on site and on social media platforms. The study contributes to existing literature by investigating organizational social media use over time.

Misogynistic Hate Speech and its Chilling Effect on Women's Free Expression during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Campaign

This essay argues that the proliferation of misogynistic hate speech during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign had a dangerous chilling effect on women’s free expression. The gendered slurs aimed at women candidates and journalists, both online and in-person, created a hostile political environment, which made it more difficult for women to fully participate in the process of Democratic self-governance. To address this issue, I recommend allocating state and federal tax dollars to counter speech efforts, and call for social media organizations, such as Facebook and Twitter, to reevaluate their hate speech and harassment policies.

Using Social Media to Engage Employees: Insights from Internal Communication Managers

ABSTRACTThe growth of social media in organizations is reshaping internal communication strategy. This article explores the value of internal social media with a focus on employee engagement, which is defined as employees who are connected to the values and mission of the company, feel empowered, bring energy, passion, and discretionary effort to their jobs, and serve as advocates. Interviews were conducted with 27 senior-level internal communication practitioners working for global companies. Practitioners said they use a variety of communication channels, including social media, to drive employee engagement. The findings revealed best practices in using internal social media to engage employees, including providing clear social media policies and employee training; empowering employee social advocates; involving leadership and securing endorsement; social media listening; sharable, relevant, and practical content strategies; and, authenticity and consistency. Future trends and evolvement of internal communication around social media are also discussed.

Strategic Communications of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

As the oldest and largest religious political organization and a political opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood has long been active in the Egyptian political arena. The eruption of the ‘January 25th Revolution’ in 2011 enabled the Muslim Brotherhood to successfully move from behind the scenes to the stage, and the Freedom and Justice Party under the Muslim Brotherhood was highlighted in Egyptian politics and succeed in the administration of the Egyptian regime. The successful development model of the Muslim Brotherhood is closely related to its strategic communication tactics. This article explores the various strategic communication tactics of the Muslim Brotherhood targeting the internal public, the international community and the stakeholders, including vertical word-of-mouth strategic communications, joint organization strategic communications and social media strategic communications. After the ‘January 25th Revolution’, the Muslim Brotherhood began to adjust to the previous strategic communications, focusing on accelerating the Islamization of the Egyptian legal system, government departments and official media, and new strategic communications have trapped it into a difficult position and it has been faced with more hurdles.

Information And Communication Technology, Uncertainty Reduction, And Dual Identification In Chinese Organizations

By employing Chinese sample, this study examined the relationship between organizational members’ use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and their identification with the immediate workgroup and the overall organization. Employees’ uncertainty level was proposed as a mediating factor in these relationships. Participants N=336 completed an online survey. Results indicated that workgroup identification (WID) was positively predicted by members’ use of organizational social media to seek work-related information, and organizational identification (OID) was positively predicted by organizational social media and intranet for the same purpose. These relationships were either partially or fully mediated by employee’s uncertainty level. Results contributed to our understanding of ICT’s role in modern collocated work settings and shed lights on ICT and identification in a non-Euro-American context.

The Combined Effects of Organizational Engagement and Social Media Use on Protest Participation

The Combined Effects of Organizational Engagement and Social Media Use on Protest Participation

Social Media Tools for Department and Practice Communication and Branding in the Digital Age.

With nearly 70% of adults in the United States using at least one social media platform, a social media presence is increasingly important for departments and practices. Patients, prospective faculty and trainees, and referring physicians look to social media to find information about our organizations. The authors present a stepwise process for planning, executing, and evaluating an organizational social media strategy. This process begins with alignment with a strategic plan to set goals, identification of the target audience(s), selection of appropriate social media channels, tracking effectiveness, and resource allocation. The article concludes with a discussion of advantages and disadvantages of social media through a review of current literature. ©RSNA, 2018.

Excessive social media use at work

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of excessive social media use on individual job performance and its exact mechanism. An extended stressor–strain–outcome research model is proposed to explain how excessive social media use at work influences individual job performance.Design/methodology/approachThe research model was empirically tested with an online survey study of 230 working professionals who use social media in organizations.FindingsThe results revealed that excessive social media use was a determinant of three types of social media overload (i.e. information, communication and social overload). Information and communication overload were significant stressors that influence social media exhaustion, while social overload was not a significant predictor of exhaustion. Furthermore, social media exhaustion significantly reduces individual job performance.Originality/valueTheory-driven investigation of the effects of excessive social media use on individual job performance is still relatively scarce, underscoring the need for theoretically-based research of excessive social media use at work. This paper enriches social media research by presenting an extended stressor–strain–outcome model to explore the exact mechanism of excessive use of social media at work, and identifying three components of social media-related overload, including information, communication and social overload. It is an initial attempt to systematically validate the casual relationships among excessive usage experience, overload, exhaustion and individual job performance based on the transactional theory of stress and coping.

Bahrain's February 14 Coalition: Deconstructing a Revolutionary Youth Movement

This article examines Bahrain's February 14 Coalition, an anonymous and decentralized youth movement that was formed during the small Gulf state's 2011 Arab Spring–inspired uprising. Drawing on fieldwork interviews and a content analysis study of the group's Facebook page, this article explores how the group uses its opaque organizational structure and strong social media presence to promote its off-line activities. In providing empirical data on the ideology, aims, and approach to activism of this important yet understudied group, this article questions prevailing sectarian narratives and makes the case for a more nuanced understanding of Bahrain's ongoing civil unrest.

Mapping Organization Knowledge Network and Social Media Based Reputation Management

Knowledge management are important aspects in an organization, especially in ICT industry. Having more control of it is essentials for the organization to stay competitive in the business. One way to assess the organization knowledge capital is by measuring employee knowledge network and their personal reputation in social media. Using this measurement, we see how employee build relationship around their peer networks or clients virtually. We also able to see how knowledge network support organization performance. &#x0D; The research objective is to map knowledge network and reputation formulation in order to fully understand how knowledge flow and whether employee reputation have higher degree of influence in organization knowledge network. We particularly develop formulas to measure knowledge network and personal reputation based on their social media activities. As case study, we pick an Indonesian ICT company which actively build their business around their employee peer knowledge outside the company.&#x0D; For knowledge network, we perform data collection by conducting interviews. For reputation management, we collect data from several popular social media. We base our work on Social Network Analysis (SNA) methodology. The result shows that employees knowledge is directly proportional with their reputation, but there are different reputations level on different social media observed in this research.

Using social media for competitive business outcomes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers, practices, and outcomes of social media use in the management of organizational supply chain.Design/methodology/approachOnline questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 285 organizations representing different industries in China. The data then were analyzed with structure equation modeling using SmartPLS.FindingsThe results indicate that key antecedents such as external pressures, internal readiness, expected benefits, strategic goals, and perceived risks influence organizational social media use, which subsequently impact organizational performance outcomes in operation and marketing as well as the satisfaction level of both internal and external constituents, such as customers, employees, partners, and suppliers.Research limitations/implicationsThe study obtained data about one organization from only one respondent and did not used random sampling.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights on why and how companies should use social media for relationship building and business outcomes.Originality/valueDrawing from the resources-based view, social networks, strategic choice theory, and technology organization and environment framework, a new social media utilization model for business outcome was established and testified using empirical data. This study is one of the first studies that adopts technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework of technology adoption theory to study organizational social media use. The findings in this study confirm the validity of the TOE framework for analyzing social media adoption and use in various organizations.

The Social Network?: Nonprofit Constituent Engagement Through Social Media

ABSTRACTSocial media has become an important part of public relations for nonprofit organizations. Social media has the potential to engage stakeholders and constituents of nonprofit organizations. However, little scholarly attention has been focused on how users react to social media posts by nonprofit organizations. To enhance understanding of how organizational social media activity affects users’ engagement, this study examines Facebook and Twitter utilization and user response of nonprofit advocacy groups. The analysis reveals that users respond differently to stimuli across platforms.