Entrepreneurial influencers and influential entrepreneurs: two sides of the same coin

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataly Guiñez-Cabrera ◽  
Claudio Aqueveque
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Phenomenological Perspective ◽  
Incentive Policies ◽  
Entrepreneurship Theory ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities ◽  
Push And Pull ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
Entrepreneurial Efforts

PurposeDrawing on push and pull entrepreneurship theory, this research investigates how and why social media users become social media influencers (SMIs), a specific type of digital entrepreneur.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a phenomenological perspective and following a process approach, a total of 35 semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with SMIs of different ages, follower numbers and associated with diverse areas of expertise. Subsequently, via interpretative analysis of interviewees' narratives and reasons for becoming SMIs, relevant motivations and events were uncovered and described.FindingsThe findings showcase two types of SMIs: “Entrepreneurial Influencers” and “Influential Entrepreneurs”. Their motivations and the path they followed on their entrepreneurial efforts were also uncovered. Finally, based on these findings, a new entrepreneurial motivational driver is proposed.Practical implicationsPublic entrepreneurial incentive policies should consider SMIs as a specific type of would-be entrepreneurs with some advantage in terms of prominence and reputation, which might help them to successfully initiate and consolidate traditional entrepreneurial activities.Originality/valueThis paper is among the first to examine SMIs from an entrepreneurial perspective, contributing to the nascent digital entrepreneurship literature.

Is this mine? Psychological ownership and the social media follower

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline S.L. Tan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Psychological Ownership ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Currency ◽  
Different Levels

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine psychological ownership (PO) experienced by followers of social media influencers toward both influencer and the product. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 30 respondents and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings The study demonstrated that the PO experienced by the follower changes under different conditions resulting from perceived value, social currency and follower activity. Social currency plays a vital role in determining the target of PO, often affecting the narrative by the follower. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the transference of PO between product and influencer as experienced by the follower. It provides an understanding on PO that is experienced in different levels of intensity and changes depending on the motive of the follower; hence, transference of PO occurs and it is not a static.

Social Media

2019 ◽  
pp. 47-68
Author(s):  
Elham Mohammadi ◽  
Azam Masoumi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
Modern Technologies

This chapter examines the path of human interaction by using modern technologies. There are two sides: those in favor of using modern technologies and those who argue that modern technologies have unwanted, detrimental effects on people's lives and health. This chapter explores virtual communication's properties. It focuses on the impact that using social media instead of face-to-face interaction has on the users' health, specifically mental health. In this viewpoint, social media is not an alternative to face-to-face interaction but a complementary device that reminds us the vitality of interaction even with those who are physically unavailable to us.

To buy or not to buy: how young consumers approach new smart products in the social media context

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jieqi Guan ◽  
Yui-yip Lau ◽  
Huijun Yang ◽  
Lianping Ren
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovation ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Purchasing Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Smart Products ◽  
Young Consumers

Purpose This paper aims to explore factors affecting young consumers’ purchasing of new smart products under the influence of social media. Design/methodology/approach Twenty semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with young consumers who used new media, and five extended interviews were conducted with popular smartwatch retailers in Macau. Findings The findings reveal that they tend to garner product information from multiple channels of communication. Social media exert the greatest influence. Reliable information, strong branding and interactions with vendors are also influential, although new product pre-announcements may be boring and difficult to understand. Originality/value This study presents new insights into diffusion of innovation theory and provides retailers launching smart products with a better understanding of their target young customers’ purchasing behavior.

Process-related value propositions of enterprise social media use for the external communication with end consumers

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Andreas Johannsen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Enterprise Social Media ◽  
External Communication ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Social Technologies ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
Value Propositions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify process-related value propositions in terms of process execution when using enterprise social media (ESM) for external communication purposes. Additionally, capabilities of ESM technologies to realize the value propositions are identified. Design/methodology/approach A literature review of case studies, describing ESM usage for external communication purposes, is performed. Further, face-to-face interviews with employees from companies are conducted to complement the findings retrieved from the literature. Findings It is shown that manifold process-related value propositions for different business processes can be realized by ESM application for external communication purposes. However, certain value propositions and the corresponding capabilities of ESM technologies are particularly emphasized. Research limitations/implications This research is different from existing studies about ESM usage because an explicit perspective on business processes is taken. Therefore, the findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge of beneficial ESM usage. Analyzing the literature and interview transcripts underlies a certain amount of subjectivity, a circumstance addressed by engaging two researchers in the coding procedure. Practical implications Practitioners discussing potentials of ESM application are provided with concrete hints as to which business processes will most likely profit from the use of social technologies for the external communication with customers. Originality/value This paper contributes to a better understanding of the beneficial impact of social technologies on business processes and thus prepares the ground for a better alignment of ESM and processes. An extensive overview of value propositions for a company’s business processes has so far not been compiled in this form.

Follow the leaders!

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-28 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Destination Marketing ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Low Costs ◽  
Commercial Organizations ◽  
Social Networking Website

Purpose – To describe the marketing opportunities available through online digital social media and evaluate their use by leading destination marketing projects. Design/methodology/approach – Analyzes the content of messages sent over the course of a year by five leading US destination marketing projects using the microblogging and social networking website Twitter. Evaluates their effectiveness in terms of the Kavaratzis model of city branding. Findings – People have always gossiped, sharing information, thoughts and opinions they think will interest others. Once this was just face-to-face; then they wrote letters and pamphlets; and after that newspapers, radio and television reached bigger audiences and made it possible to advertise to a wide target group. But then along came the world wide web – and soon afterwards, social media went digital. On the internet, people can share their views with everyone else, no matter where they are. Web sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube make it easy for anyone to comment on postings. And it did not take long for commercial organizations to take notice: digital social media offer low costs per message, unlimited geographical reach and instant access. Best of all, you can tailor the message to the audience and engage in a two-way interaction with individuals who – if they like what you say – will tell others about it. What a marketing opportunity! Practical implications – Points out ways that marketers can use social media to extend their reach, tailor messages to individual recipients and benefit from word-of-mouth recommendations online. Originality/value – Shows how destination marketing organizations can use social media platforms to increase their reach and enhance the relevance of their communications.

scholarly journals Offline versus online travel experience sharing: the national profile of China

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songshan (Sam) Huang ◽  
Xiang Wei
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Chinese Women ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Travel Experience ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
The Face ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
National Profile

PurposeThis study aims to examine the demographic differences of Chinese nationals’ travel experience sharing through different offline and online platforms.Design/methodology/approachCross-tabulation analysis was applied on a national sample of 6081 respondents in China.FindingsThe study found that Chinese women tend to share travel experience more often than Chinese men; old people in China tend to use the face-to-face approach more than online or social media to share their travel experience. About 66.5 per cent of the survey sample used WeChat Moments to share their travel experience, highlighting WeChat as the dominating social media platform in China for travel sharing. In general, people who share via online platforms (WeChat, Weibo, QQ Space) tend to be young, single or unmarried, well-educated and earning a high monthly income.Originality/valueThe study offers an in-depth understanding of travel experience sharing idiosyncrasies in China.

Exploring the motivation of affect management in fostering social media engagement and related insights for branding

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-83
Author(s):  
Fathima Zahara Saleem ◽  
Oriol Iglesias
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Affective State ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social Media Engagement ◽  
Positive Affective State ◽  
Personal Trauma ◽  
Negative Affective State

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an affect-based perspective to explain levels of social media engagement. Design/methodology/approach This study uses face-to-face long interviews and online observation of the Facebook profiles of respondents over an eight-month period. Findings Social media engagement varies depending on a user’s current and desired affective state. When individuals are in a low to moderately aroused negative affective state (such as feeling bored or upset), individuals tend to spend time passively consuming content: the lowest level of engagement. In a low to moderately aroused positive mood state (such as happiness), users both passively consume and actively participate with relevant content by liking and commenting on existing content. When users are in a highly aroused positive affective state, the propensity to create original content is greater, reflecting the highest level of engagement. When users are in a highly aroused negative affective state (such as being angry at a brand), users are motivated to vent on social media to manage the mood. Conversely, when users are in a highly aroused negative affective state related to personal trauma, the avoidance of engagement on social media is evident. Practical implications Brands can increase the likelihood of consumers creating positive consumer–brand stories offline and online by priming consumer affect. Originality/value This study explores how a desired affective state motivates varying levels of user engagement with different types of content on social media.

Limitless learning: assessing social media use for global workplace learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Joachim Breunig
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Virtual Collaboration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Local Setting

Purpose This empirical paper aims to assess how social media can foster workplace learning within a globally dispersed project environment. In general, there are few studies on the use of social media in organizations, and many of these emphasize on issues related to knowledge transfer. Although learning traditionally has been as acquisition of knowledge, increasingly researchers point to learning-as-participation occurring through work collaboration. Social media promise increased opportunities for communication and collaboration, extending the context of collaboration beyond the local setting. However, there exists limited research on how social media can foster workplace learning, for example, between globally dispersed colleagues. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on an exploratory, in-depth single case study of an international professional service firm’s implementation of an internal wiki system to address the research question: how are social media utilized in an organization to foster workplace learning among its dispersed individual experts? Data are gathered in 35 semi-structured interviews, as well as documents studies and observations. Data are coded and analyzed utilizing the context and learning factors of workplace learning. Findings The paper shows how the wiki system enables hybrid knowledge management strategies linked to virtual collaboration on daily project tasks, involving documentation, search, interaction and knowledge exchange, as well as socialization and learning from practice among dispersed groups and individuals. The learning mechanisms involved in virtual collaboration do not differ much from what is reported on face-to-face workplace learning, however, the context factors are extended beyond the local setting. Practical implications The findings identify four determinants for using the wiki that can be of use to other organizations implementing similar virtual collaboration technology. First, the wiki must directly relate to the daily work by offering interactive and updated information concerning current project challenges. Second, the system must enable transparency in the daily project work to allow search. Third, the intention with the search is of lesser degree to identify encyclopedic information than it is to visualize individual competence. Fourth, the quality assurance of the data posted at the wiki is important. Originality/value The study reveals how an international knowledge-based organization can utilize social media to leverage knowledge and experiences from multiple geographically dispersed projects by enabling virtual collaboration. Extant empirical research on workplace learning emphasizes on face-to-face interactions in groups, for example, when engineers, or accountants, in teams interact and collaborate at client premises. However, there exists limited knowledge concerning how workplace learning can be achieved through virtual collaboration.

Acceptance and usage of social media as a platform among student entrepreneurs

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noorshella Binti Che Nawi ◽  
Abdullah Al Mamun ◽  
Noorul Azwin Binti Md Nasir ◽  
Noorlisa Maria bt A. Hamid Shokery ◽  
Nursalihah Binti Ahmad Raston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Perceived Trust ◽  
Performance Expectancy ◽  
Student Entrepreneurs ◽  
Perceived Enjoyment ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities

Purpose While it is perceived that adoption reflects acceptance, the purpose of this paper is to argue that individual usage is critical and cannot be guaranteed by mere adoption. This study, therefore, focuses on the factors (i.e. performance expectancy, perceived trust, perceived risk, facilitating condition, and perceived enjoyment) contributing to the adoption and ultimately usage of social media as a business platform among student entrepreneurs in Malaysia under the premise of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a cross-sectional design and quantitative data are collected from 300 selected respondents listed as student entrepreneurs in the entrepreneurship centers of all public universities within Peninsular Malaysia. Findings Performance expectancy, perceived risk, perceived trust, and perceived enjoyment have a significant effect on the adoption of social media leading to its usage as a business platform. Findings also report a significant mediating effect of adoption of social media on the relationship between performance expectancy, perceived trust, perceived risk, and perceived enjoyment with the depth of social media usage. Research limitations/implications In order to promote entrepreneurial activities among student entrepreneurs using social media as a business platform, programs and policies should focus on improving cyber security and value-added services. Originality/value This study puts forward and tests the original UTAUT model to assess the adoption and depth of social media usage as a business platform among young student entrepreneurs in Peninsular Malaysia, which provides a foundation for the design and implementation of programs and policies that promote entrepreneurial activities using social media among student entrepreneurs in Malaysia.

Policy gaps will frustrate China-US ties under Trump

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
North Korea ◽  
Maritime Security ◽  
Climate Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
Unilateral Action ◽  
The Us ◽  
Two Sides

Significance No joint statement was issued by the two leaders, although the US Secretaries of State, Commerce and Treasury provided commentary on the talks. Both US and Chinese expectations were kept in check for the first face-to-face meeting of the two leaders; the two sides saw the summit as more transitional than transactional. Nevertheless, beneath mutual proclamations of friendship, gaps in outlook and policy between the two countries appeared, most significantly on North Korea. Impacts Beijing may assess the US strike on Syria unfavourably, viewing Trump as a Bush-style advocate of unilateral action. The administration will support the Obama line towards maritime security norms via US patrols, rather than international legal mechanisms. The summit’s silence on joint climate governance efforts and human rights suggest they are likely to slide from the bilateral agenda. Extended Asia policy vacancies in Washington will hinder the management of bilateral relations at the sub-cabinet level.

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