'Like' my coworkers: Organizational socialization and workplace relationship development using social media

Lei Vincent Huang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingConference proceedingpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Extending the line of research on social media use and organizational socialization, this paper investigates how organizational newcomers use social media to initiate, develop, and maintain workplace relationships. This paper draws upon in-depth interviews with 30 organizational newcomers who are knowledge workers in China regarding their experience of using WeChat, the most popular social media in China, for work-related purposes. Findings suggest that WeChat provides content and action opportunities for organizational newcomers to initiate, develop, and maintain their relationships with coworkers. Organizational newcomers are also conscious of interaction norms with coworkers on WeChat to avoid negative, unexpected consequences. This study contributes to understanding of organizational socialization and workplace relationship development in an increasingly digitally mediated workplace.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication10th International Conference on Social Media and Society
Subtitle of host publicationRethinking Privacy and Trust, SMSociety 2019
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Pages5-14
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9781450366519
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 Jul 2019
Event10th International Conference on Social Media and Society: Rethinking Privacy and Trust, SMSociety 2019 - Toronto, Canada
Duration: 19 Jul 201921 Jul 2019

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference10th International Conference on Social Media and Society: Rethinking Privacy and Trust, SMSociety 2019
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityToronto
Period19/07/1921/07/19

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Software
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Computer Networks and Communications

User-Defined Keywords

  • Newcomers
  • Organizational Socialization
  • Social Media
  • WeChat
  • Workplace Relationships

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