When it comes to how organizations and companies use social media, it does not come as a surprise to learn that it is utilized to communicate with external parties. However, the article “Enterprise Social Media: Definition, History, and Prospects for the Study of Social Technologies in Organizations” states that social media is often used in organizations as a way of internal communication--that is, to communicate with employees and co-workers. When I initially read the article, I was surprised to see that many people saw social media as an opportune way to communicate with employees and co-workers. This was not because I thought it was impossible to use social media in that way, but because I thought that it was a terrible idea to do so. Growing up, I have always listened to lectures from teachers and professors about how dangerous social media is when it comes to finding a career; people have to be careful to not post content that might jeopardize their job positions, which is difficult when it seems like everything and everyone is on social media right now. 

Companies allowing employees to communicate via social media appears to be a bit of a double-edge sword. For example, social media allows correspondences to be made public and remains logged into the system even after it is completed (Leonardi, Huysman, and Steinfield, 2013). While this can be used as a way to “keep track” of employees and make sure that nothing suspicious or illegal is occuring, it can also be seen as an infringement on a person’s privacy. Where a person falls on this argument likely depends on how strongly they feel about having other people read what they have written, as well as their own usage of social media. 

Works Cited

Leonardi, P. M., Huysman, M., & Steinfield, C. (2013). Enterprise social media: Definition, history, and prospects for the study of social technologies in organizations. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(1), 1-19.