A bi-dimensional classification and characterization of enterprise social media users

Abstract

Purpose Enterprise social media (ESM) platforms are rapidly diffusing in the business context because they can bring substantial benefits to companies by enhancing their knowledge management (KM) processes. However, such benefits materialize only if active employee participation is ensured. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how individual employees use an ESM platform to assist their knowledge-related activities. This paper contributes to this topic by proposing a classification of ESM users based on two dimensions: frequency and type (active or passive) of use. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents the results of a survey of 262 employees of an international engineering service company that has adopted an ESM platform to support its KM processes. Statistical methods (e.g. ANOVA, Tukey’s b) were applied to verify the usefulness of the proposed typology and identify the main aspects that characterize the different user groups. Findings The survey results confirm the existence of different types of ESM users and provide the empirical basis for developing a bi-dimensional classification from which four user groups were derived and characterized: frequent contributors, sporadic contributors, frequent lurkers and sporadic lurkers. Research limitations/implications The main limitation is that only one company in one sector with specific knowledge needs and capabilities was investigated. Practical implications The study provides useful suggestions for how to promote the use of an ESM and particularly for how to encourage less frequent and less active users to increase their participation in a platform. Originality/value The paper contributes to a better understanding of how employees approach ESM by identifying factors that characterize different user groups.

Why lurk, why join, and why post? The uses and gratifications of lurkers, infrequent posters, and frequent posters in the brand community context.

“…Further demonstrating that lurking behavior is a continuum, both Gong et al (2015) and Malinen (2015) found that lurkers could be turned into postersand thus, treating lurkers as a fixed entity could be a mistake. Kirchner et al (2022) also found four unique user types within social media communities-frequent contributors, sporadic contributors, frequent lurkers, and sporadic lurkers (also often known as ghosts due to their lack of presence in the group). Walker et al (2010) suggested that the tendency to put zero and infrequent posters together into the lurker category contributes to some confusion about lurkers' benefits and behaviors.…”

Exploring Social Media and Organisational Sustainability Performance Goals: Themes, Functional Areas, and Practices Learning from the Preceding Decade

“…The recent worldwide surge in social media platform users has substantially impacted the operations and procedures of organisations [10]. Organisations often embrace social media to accomplish various goals, such as information sharing, connection building, brand development, boosting awareness, and gathering customer insights [11]. In addition, the engagement of social media platforms within firms affects organisational decision-making processes and job skills.…”

Examining the effects of enterprise social media on operational and social performance during environmental disruption

“…Enterprise social media (ESM) is a broad term that refers to the use of social media networks by organisations in a variety of ways to achieve various business objectives, such as knowledge exchange and communication (Kirchner et al, 2021;Leonardi et al, 2013). ESM research has attracted significant attention from practitioners and researchers over the last decade owing to the range of advantages it provides to organisations in terms of communication and collaboration (Li et al, 2021;Sharma et al, 2021).…”

“…Organisations are now using social media to achieve a range of objectives, including knowledge sharing, relationship building, brand building, raising awareness and gaining customer insights (Kirchner et al, 2021;Pitafi et al, 2018). Social media usage has increased significantly, especially in disaster and emergency situations to connect with others and share information on food, shelter and medical issues (Saroj and Pal, 2020;Sharma et al, 2021).…”

“…Similarly, research on operations and supply chain management has established that organisations are increasingly using social media analytics to gather market insights from various external social media channels (Shareef et al, 2020). Thus, there is a consensus on the benefits and significance of both internal and external use of ESM (Kirchner et al, 2021).…”