The needs, affordance and consequences of social media as a communication channel : a leader’s perspective

Abstract

The digital age and technological advancements are significantly changing the way business operates, and place significant reliance on virtual environments and virtual contexts, which requires a fundamental transformation of leadership practices. The manner in which leaders lead, engage and influence internal and external stakeholders are significantly influenced by the digital communication tools. Social media is a unique computer mediated communication channel that affords users social interactions through self-expression, information sharing, feedback loops, on a real time basis using word and multimedia options. As such, this study aimed to understand the social media landscape relating to the virtual work environment from a leader’s perspective. Specifically, the study sought to understand why and how leaders in South Africa use social media, considering the possible opportunities and challenges afforded through social media use, and the underlying factors used to create audience engagement on social media sites. The study focused on the needs, affordance and consequences that the use of social media sites provides leaders in a professional context. The study followed an inductive, qualitative, exploratory research methodology, with data being collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Research participants were divided into two distinct groups: active users, who frequently engage with their audiences on social media, and passive users, who primarily consume content without significant interaction. The findings of the study pertaining to active users were mostly in support of existing literature. The insights into passive users’ personal preferences and experiences with social media are deemed a significant contribution to the field of social media use. This offers academics new areas of research, but also plays a vital role in gaining a more complete picture of audience behaviour. Insights into passive users’ preferences can help shape leader’s social media strategies to gain more audience interaction, more followers and unbiased opinions. From a practical business perspective, the study will assist active leaders to navigate the social media landscape in the work context by learning from the experiences of fellow leaders.