Social media use in academia: Towards topology development and investigation of dominant use motive

Abstract

Purpose

The high rate of internet penetration has led to the proliferation of social media (SM) use, even at the workplace, including academia. This research attempts to develop a topology and thereby determine the dominant use motive for faculty’s use of SM.

Design/methodology/approach

In this two-part study, a two-stage research design has been adopted for topology development based on the application of Uses and Gratifications Theory. In the second part, the Technology Acceptance Model is applied to discern the dominant motive for SM use in academia.

Findings

The work is able to develop a seven-item topology, conforming to the basic three use motives, namely, hedonic, utilitarian and social. The work shows faculty attach more value to the instrumental utility of SM, while the hedonic function is also significant.

Practical implications

Discerning dominant motive implies that SM use at the workplace should not be banned, rather effective regulated use will instil the faculty to enhance work outcomes. The conceptualisation of topology for SM use in academia at the workplace can aid in designing an effective organisation policy, and design of an internal SM platform.

Originality/value

The study is unique towards topology development for academic faculty and has many important implications for management and academia, especially towards policy design for SM use at the workplace.

Citation

Nijjer, S. and Raj, S. (2020), "Social media use in academia: Towards topology development and investigation of dominant use motive", Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 255-280. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-08-2019-0093