Exploring the Typology of Organizations’ Social Media Usage

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session and Reception
  In Interactive Paper Session: Public Relations Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how for-profit and nonprofit organizations are currently using diverse social media applications for their public relations purposes. Based on a cluster analysis, the social media usage patterns of 317 for-profit and nonprofit organizations were analyzed. Six groups were identified based on the social media applications the organizations used predominantly. Three groups primarily used a single social media application (blogs, social networking sites, or widgets), whereas the other three groups employed multiple social media applications with an emphasis on visualization, virtualization, or interactive collaboration purposes. The present study found associations between the organizations’ use of specific social media applications and organizational traits such as organizational size and organizational history, as well as industry type. The theoretical and practical implications of this finding are discussed in this paper.

Authors

• Eun Go, Pennsylvania State University

• Kyung Han You, Penn State U