Plugged into work media: Impacts of work media on IT employees

This study examines the role of social and work media in the workplace and the implications for employees who choose to be offline. Three sub-departments within an IT department at a public university were observed and four employees were interviewed. The findings indicated that social media only played a role in marketing and public relations. Work media, including Google apps, IRC chat, IM through Pidgin, and over the phone were found to be the main modes of communication. The organizational structure, which had specialized departments, required the employees to communicate, whereas the centralized, fast-paced organizational culture required employees to collaborate. Due to individual preferences in communication media, employees had to tailor the medium they used to the preference of the desired contact. Analyzing the norms and social conventions for how these media were used, constant availability was found to be a company expectation. Being offline may simply not be an option for future employees working in professions that require communicating via technology. Plugged into work media: Impacts of work media on IT employees 3 Introduction and Rationale In our ever increasing media saturated consumer society, there is a constant pull toward having an online social media presence that is deemed a necessity to be a functional member (Portwood-Stacer, 2012). According to a recent poll collected by a Pew Internet Project survey, 72% of Generation Y Internet users are on social networking sites, and many Generation X’ers and Baby Boomers are quickly following suit in order to remain “relevant” in the digital era (Leidner et al., 2010). Social media, otherwise known as Web 2.0, differs from all previous technological innovations, in that content is no longer published by more privileged parties, but rather is generated and continuously modified by users (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). This has resulted in the increase of personal information sharing and interaction between all internet users. With the move toward more mobilized technology, social media never rests and people can be connected 24 hours a day. This continual access creates a blurring of boundaries between the private and work domains, where people are integrating their social and professional lives (Bucher et al., 2013). According to a survey done by global consulting firm McKinsey, 65% of companies reported using Web 2.0 technologies within their organizations (Treem & Leonardi, 2012). Bucher and her colleagues (2013) argue that with the adoption of new information and communication technologies, many organizations must redefine their structures, business processes, and daily routines. The more present focus is often placed on how essential it is for companies to integrate social media into their organizations, while often overlooking the implications of employees who choose to not embrace social media. This study focuses on how the integration of social media, as well as work media in the workplace has affected employee relations and how media use is negotiated between employees. First I will discuss the theoretical framework that may help to provide lenses through which to Plugged into work media: Impacts of work media on IT employees 4 interpret the findings. Next, all previous findings will be discussed in the area of enterprise social media (social media used within the workplace), which help develop the necessary research questions. Following, will be the methodology of this study, along with the results. The last section discusses the findings and implications of social media in the workplace. Theoretical Framework Within this segment, I will discuss the various theories that will ground this study. Social Construction theory is utilized to explain the ways in which users construct their reality when sharing information with others online. Critical theory examines the power play between the users of social media and abstainers and the ideologies created by social media usage. Cultural studies is used to examine how social media usage contributes to the power dynamics between users and non-users. This is followed by Dialectical Theory, which studies the contradictory tensions users experience when posting information online and the decisions users must make. Lastly, Organizational Culture examines the interactions between organizational members in order to discover the artifacts, values, and assumptions about technology and social media that are not explicitly stated. Combined, these theories provide insight into what kind of culture is created while reality is being constructed, and how power structures affect the construction of that reality, and in turn the organizational culture. Social Construction Theory Inherent with user generated content, is that everyone theoretically has the ability to both produce and use information, and communicate on a larger scale. According to Social Construction Theory, communication is the primary way humans make sense of the world and construct reality. It is through our interactions within social systems from which meanings arise and are continuously negotiated (Allen, 2005). With the presence of social media, this Plugged into work media: Impacts of work media on IT employees 5 negotiation of reality, which shapes our understanding, happens more frequently and on a more global stage. It is therefore important to understand how the absence of interaction within this domain contributes to the construction and negotiation of reality. Critical theory helps to explore how power is distributed in these interactions, and subsequently how reality is constructed based on the power bases of the participating and nonparticipating individuals. Critical Theory The social system in this study that is gaining increasing popularity and dominance is social media. Within Critical Theory, the main concentration is on how this social structure came to be the dominant system, the social relations within this system, and the practices of those within the system (Deetz, 2005). Essentially this theory studies the power dynamics in human relationships that create and perpetuate the system in place. The questions we ask are: how do humans produce cultural signs, how do humans use language, how do humans treat conflicts, and how does culture contribute to the system that has been created (Deetz, 2005). The information age has brought with it social media, which provides information instantly and constantly. It also allows access for people to voice their opinions and level the playing field between the common man and privileged individuals. Those who do not partake in social media then are perceived as consciously choosing to have less power because they have less access to information and a forum to voice their opinions. Most critical work within Critical Theory focuses on critique of ideology; ideology within this context means the “implicit values directing thinking and action” that are generally so deep seated that they are unknown and undiscussed (Deetz, 2005, p. 95). The ideology overstated in the social media world is the inherent goodness of openness and connection. These implicit values affect our thinking and actions, reminding us that society values citizens who are Plugged into work media: Impacts of work media on IT employees 6 constantly “plugged in” with the rest of the community. This ideology leaves little room for people with different interests to express why they have not joined the masses, and labels them as holdouts from the “natural” process of going digital. This system lacks representation of the different interests of workers within an organization, which causes misunderstandings and misrecognition of their actual interests (Deetz, 2005). Cultural studies offers a deeper insight into how the power dynamics of the studied organization are perpetuated by focusing on how culture is established and maintained during daily interactions. Cultural Studies Within Cultural studies we examine the cultural practices of the organization and how they contribute toward the power dynamics under scrutiny (Lindlof & Taylor, 2011). We specifically look at the social and political contexts in which the culture manifests itself in the way we construct our daily lives. We concentrate on how the medium or message affects ideology, social class, etc. and how meaning is generated through communication within a particular culture. The digital culture greatly affects the way people talk about their engagement or disengagement with social media. A subculture is definitely present including people who for some reason or another decide to not partake in the online social world. This dominant culture greatly affects our thinking about people within the subculture, and consequently how we behave in order to fit in. Dialectical theory gives insight into how people make decisions regarding their media usage and availability online. Dialectical Theory Even within the dominant culture, users must still make decisions about their usage, with often contradictory options. They must decide between how much information to share (what is too much or too little), how visible they wish to be to other users, and how engaged they must be Plugged into work media: Impacts of work media on IT employees 7 in their interactions with other users. Dialectical theory explains that meanings emerge from the “struggle of [these] different, often opposing discourses” (Galvin et al., 2012, p. 70). How users manage these contradictions give insight to the values of the organization. Organizational culture theory helps to explain what these values and emerging artifacts and assumptions tell the researcher about employees use or non-use of media. Organizational Culture Values, along with artifacts and assumptions that emerge from the interactions within an organization make up the organizational culture (Keyton, 2014). Artifacts within an organization include “norms, s