A tool and a tyrant: Social media and well-being in organizational contexts

Abstract

Social media technologies have the potential to be helpful and harmful to employees. We seek to move beyond this broad dichotomy by providing a concise review of current research on the relationship between social media use in organizational contexts and employee well-being. Our review comprises 51 articles which are grouped by theoretical focus: personal behavior theories, social behavior theories, and communication theories. The review illustrates that the negative implications of social media use can be ascribed to excessive usage patterns, the context, and personal circumstances of use. Alternatively, the positive implications of social media relate to the ways in which these technologies satisfy personal needs. The findings help contextualize the negative and positive implications of social media use for employee well-being.

Keywords: Enterprise social media; Job satisfaction; Public social media; Well-being.