Seeing light in the dark: Investigating the dark side of social media and user response strategies

Social media affords brands and users a variety of benefits. However, a recent stream of research identifies a multidimensional dark side to social media. We contribute to this growing body of research in four key ways. First, we empirically investigate user perceptions of the dark side of social media in terms of the risks proposed by Baccarella et al. (2018), confirming the existence of six of the seven risks. Second, we identify and empirically investigate the strategies with which users seek to reduce the social media risks. Third, we develop scales to assess both the social media risks and user reduction strategies. Finally, we conduct segmentation analysis to empirically investigate how users differ in terms of their perceived social media risks and risk reduction strategies. Taken together, our findings provide a validated framework of, and scales to measure, user perceptions of, and responses to, the dark side of social media.     

Work-related social media use: The mediating role of social media communication self-efficacy

Social media use has become an indispensable part of knowledge work. Employees posting work-related content on social media are considered credible sources of information and have significant importance for how stakeholders, such as potential customers and future employees, perceive the organization. Therefore, employees’ ability to communicate about their work on social media has become a competitive advantage both for individual employees and for their organizations, especially in the professional service sector. Hence, understanding the role of employees’ ability to use these social media professionally is crucial for understanding the communicative behaviors of contemporary knowledge workers. In this study, we draw on social cognitive theory and focus on the antecedents and consequences of self-efficacy in individuals’ work-related communication on social media. The results show that perceived organizational commitment, clarity of communicative role, social media training, and prior experience with social media serve as antecedents of communication self-efficacy and subsequent work-related communication on social media. Thus, organizations and particularly management, have several aspects directly within the scope of their control that may aid employees in engaging in the professional use of social media. The paper contributes to the literature on employees’ communication behavior and provides important and actionable insights for management and the development of human resources.     

社会危机背景下的联结行动说服策略研究 ——基于社交媒体中的用户生成内容文本分析

近年来的社会危机事件表明,社交媒体平台已成为传播信息、开展联结行动的主流社会报道工具。基于决策与推理的双系统说服模型—启发式与系统式处理,本文通过微博平台定量地探讨了联结行动中积极分子的用户生成内容(UGC)与公众参与间的复杂关系。借鉴道德判断和认知加工文献,视道德呼吁内容为启发式线索,功利呼吁内容为系统式线索,考察其重要性,并从情绪唤醒的角度研究了社会危机中常见的两种消极离散情感:焦虑和悲伤。利用两个不同社会危机期间(2016年魏则西事件和2018年泰国沉船事件)的数据集,结合机器学习算法与负二项回归模型,发现两类呼吁性内容均可刺激普通用户作为扩散者参与联结行动。同时,嵌入在UGC中的悲伤情绪增加了道德呼吁的重要性,而焦虑情绪则促进了功利呼吁的正向影响。实证结果对联结行动的行动者、危机管理者和应急救援部门都具有重要的现实意义。     

多维互动对服务品牌资产的影响——基于灰关联分析的研究

从现有文献和观点中提炼出了服务企业、一线员工与顾客之间的主要互动因素,构建了一个基于多维互动的服务品牌资产分析框架,并基于此框架运用灰关联分析方法进行了探索性的实证研究,验证了服务企业、一线员工与顾客之间的多维互动是服务品牌资产消长的根源,也揭示了处于初级阶段的我国服务企业品牌建设的特征.     

多维互动对服务品牌资产的影响———基于灰关联分析的研究

从现有文献和观点中提炼出了服务企业、一线员工与顾客之间的主要互动因素,构建了一个基于多维互动的服务品牌资产分析框架,并基于此框架运用灰关联分析方法进行了探索性的实证研究,验证了服务企业、一线员工与顾客之间的多维互动是服务品牌资产消长的根源,也揭示了处于初级阶段的我国服务企业品牌建设的特征．     

Leveraging employees as spokespeople in your HR strategy: How company-related employee posts on social media can help firms to attract new talent

In a similar way as consumers use social media to spread word-of-mouth about brands and firms, employees perform similar activities when posting company-related content on social media. Such posts can be of significant importance for future employees who use them as supposedly unbiased information of firm attractiveness. Hence better understanding such activity is a crucial element of many HR managers. In this study we rely on signaling theory to explore the relationships between corporate brand strength, corporate social media activity and company-related posts by employees on social media channels. To analyze those relationships, we apply variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS SEM) based on data from a survey among scholars who published in A-journals. Our results show that corporate brand strength alone is not sufficient to mobilize employees to upload company-related posts. However, corporate brand strength influences corporate social media activity, which, in turn, impacts company-related posts by employees on social media. We highlight the crucial role of employees as spokespeople and influencers for firms, especially vis-à-vis applicants and prospective employees.     

Breaking bad online: A synthesis of the darker sides of social networking sites

This essay deconstructs the ultra-dark side of social media and explores the variety of ‘bad’ behaviour online by looking at a wide spectrum of exploitative practices. Through the use of primary data from an online platform, we posit the question ‘What’s the worst thing you’ve done online’? We collect, code and synthesise the fully anonymised discussions and develop a classification model for bad online behaviour. We combine the categories that emerge from our empirical data with those proposed by Baccarella, Wagner, Kietzmann, and McCarthy (2018) and develop a new combined (meta-) classification model that captures both the dark side of social networking and the ultra-dark. A framework is proposed for conceptualising the spectrum of exploitative practices and the essay concludes by providing a series of management considerations.     

Societal effects of social media in organizations: Reflective points deriving from a systematic literature review and a bibliometric meta-analysis

Social media provides its users with uninterrupted access to information for a variety of matters. On the one hand, social media helps people to express themselves freely and access various content, thus, forming a global view. On the other hand, social media may easily lead individuals to form polarized attitudes by impacting their behaviour in various contexts (e.g., organizational contexts). Such contradiction cannot be neglected. It is found to be an essential societal phenomenon that needs further investigation. The study first aims at realizing how existing literature of different domains analyse and conceptualize the effects of social media. Then, it leverages such societal effects on organizations. A total of 231 articles were used for a systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric meta-analysis on this topic and were further analysed with VOSviewer software. The study organizes the existing literature on this topic and provides issues, perceptions, and theories that are used to explain the effects of social media in society, and then it reflects on the potential impact on organizations.     

Averting the rise of the dark side of social media: The role of sensitization and regulation

Social media have fundamentally influenced the way we live. Thus far, research has mainly focused on the ‘bright side’ of social media and the many advantages these platforms bring. More and more, however, research is also beginning to address the ‘dark side’ of social media. Dark side phenomena include cyberbullying, manipulation of elections, fear of missing out, social media addiction and the distribution of fake news. In this editorial for the management focus section of the European Management Journal, we propose two strategies (sensitizing and regulating) to manage this dark side of social media. Additionally, this editorial introduces the four articles included in this management focus section. We hope that the featured articles will help to encourage further research in this area.     

The shadows know me: Exploring the dark side of social media in the healthcare field

Nowadays, the increasing attention paid to the dark side of social media (SM) in the field of healthcare management has moved both researchers and practitioners to investigate the impact of Web 2.0 technologies with reference to SM, because of continuous distortion created by these SM platforms for patients and the real dark side they constitute, which affects both the patient sphere and its relative empowerment.Based on previous theoretical and managerial contributions, the paper aims to investigate both the bright and dark side of the effects of SM in the healthcare field, which affect improvements in patient empowerment. Notwithstanding, the exploratory study was developed through a common theoretical and conceptual framework to improve the understanding of emerging social and economic dynamics towards the paradigm provided by many studies on the dark side of Web 2.0.So far, established on previous contributions to the healthcare management domain, the exploratory study identifies a set of variables related to the conceptualisations of patient empowerment and the dark side of SM, with reference to cases of digital users both with and without chronic illnesses.Moving deeper, matching qualitative and quantitative approaches, the impact of the dark side of SM on patient empowerment was investigated using structural equation modelling through SPSS and R softwares, sampling about 650 individuals on the Italian population using computer-assisted web interviewing.Finally, results highlight considerable correlations between many dimensions explaining patient empowerment and the dark side of SM, showing a positive effect on the improvement in patient engagement, but potential critical risks and concerns due to a misinterpretation of online information highlighting the dark side of SM.