Emergence of Social Networking Sites as a Legitimate Organizational Form

• In Event: Tech-Savy or Tech-Sorry Organizations

Abstract

This study addresses the emergence of social networking sites as an organizational form, grounded in theories of organizational ecology. The ecological perspective on organizational forms provides a foundation for understanding how forms emerge as a result of interactions within the surrounding environment. This is applied through a framework for examining the emergence of online communities as a legitimate organizational form, and is then applied to a case study of the growth of social networking sites.

Authors

• Matthew Weber, University of Southern California

• Janet Fulk, University of Southern California

• Peter Monge, University of Southern California