ABSTRACT
Following the turn of the century, social media platforms have become increasingly popular, and since their inception, they have changed the way in which individuals connect, communicate, and engage in personal and professional spheres. Social media includes Web 2.0 Internet-based applications in which user-generated content is continuously modified by users in a collaborative effort and creates opportunities for networking to occur through either the public posting of content or broadcast to a specific group of individuals. Social media takes many forms and may include the sharing of online profiles, personal messaging, image sharing, video chatting, blogging, dating services, and business communication networking.
Social media use can be both deleterious and advantageous in the workplace. While its use can help in disseminating knowledge and ideas and increase employee autonomy, it can also impact the productivity of employees by increasing work-related stress and workplace distractions. Moreover, increased time spent on social media is associated with greater negative health outcomes with some evidence to suggest that there may be differences in health outcomes between users of different types of social media (e.g. text-based, image-based). However, the literature suggests that social media is and will continue to become an integral part of many industries and workplaces and can bring many positive outcomes when used responsibly.
