In‐between self‐marketing and collaboration: Researcher identity formation in the usage of academic social network sites

Abstract

Academic social network sites (ASNS) are a special case of social networking sites, providing a professional identity for management scholars online. Due to the particular requirements of academic work, usage patterns deviate from those on other social networking sites. The study presented here takes an in‐depth look at needs and gratifications in the usage of ASNS. In contrast to earlier studies of the same kind, it includes social influence from the academic community as another theoretical lens to identify cross‐individual effects. Based on 19 interviews with members of a community in business and management research, the study discusses knowledge and information transfer, enjoyment and entertainment, social interaction and professional belonging, self‐promotion and escapism as critical issues in using ASNS. For each of these issues, the study reveals various patterns in which gratifications are affected by social influence. They can be considered as specific characteristic of ASNS in the contexts of scientific research and teaching that contribute to a better understanding of the specificities of social media usage in academia.

Data, resilience, and identity in the digital age

“…They realized their own healthcare data was shared more than they had understood, which suggests that organizations are not sufficiently clear in their data-sharing practices. Söldner's (2023) showing increased options for skilled workers to shape their own professional identities. Furthermore, platform designers and operators can learn from this study how the future design of ASNS can proceed as an enablement of conventional social networking (Park et al, 2009) and collaborative interactions, as they are known from open innovation (Moeslein and Fritzsche, 2018).…”

Strategically redefining university dynamics for the digital age: A qualitative approach

“…HEI DT changes the form of student-lecturer and teaching-learning interaction, creating digital environments that enable students and teachers to identify market opportunities through dynamic skills which, as dependent on the idiosyncratic characteristics of individuals, must reach beyond developing business models and allow the continuous perceiving and seizing of opportunities and empowering students for decision-making processes in uncertain environments (Teece, 2014). In the teaching we can mention the use of Academic Social Network Sites, which play a pivotal role in shaping and subsequently developing professional identities that can be significantly enhanced by the opportunity to engage in collaborative research tasks (Söldner, 2023).…”