A study of how social networking sites change interpersonal relationships in business organizations: an example of Facebook

• Main Authors: Hsu, Tzu Ya, 許慈雅
• Other Authors: Chang, Wen Chiang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/14744445631342282781

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 傳播學院碩士在職專班 === 99 === This study discusses the impact and influence of Facebook on interpersonal relationships at the work place. Social networking sites (SNS), Facebook in particular, have grown in popularity in recent years. In addition to personal usage, many use Facebook as a tool to interact with their colleagues in corporate settings. When used in this manner, the mode of interaction is based on computer-mediated communication (CMC), which is distinct from physical interactions or from virtual online interactions. This study focuses on three aspects of Facebook that influence and shape the relationships among employees in a corporation. Firstly, the members of a business organization know each other, so the process of interaction begins with physical acquaintance. The interaction then migrates online through Facebook, which, in turn, shapes the nature of the physical interaction. In other words, aided by technology, the corporate personnel interact both in "virtual (online)" space and in "physical" space, resulting in a mode of interaction that can be called "virtually and physically interlaced" interaction. On this basis, this study examines the effects of "virtually and physically interlaced" interaction from two perspectives. First, from the overview perspective, the introduction of Facebook in a corporate setting creates a space for a new form of interaction, an "online break room" of sorts, in which the corporate personnel's interaction is experienced differently than in a physical break room. Employees in "online break rooms" communicate with each other in multiple modes and methods such as videos, music, forwarded articles and so on. Unlike in a physical break room where the conversations are limited in number and also limited by the necessity of shared space and time, the online break room offers unconstrained space where employees can readily exchange their thoughts, opinions, as well as their feelings with others. The experience creates a new social dimension to the "online break room" at hand that employees can be accompanied by colleagues anytime and anywhere and also be able to receive much comfort and support from the coworkers. However, the level of communication remains superficial because employees do not interact in person. Second, from the individual perspective, an employee's experience of interaction with others in an "online break room" is changed. The introduction of Facebook in a corporate setting provides its personnel an alternate platform to express themselves more personally, in ways which may have been difficult to do in a rigid and formal business environment. We use the term "alternative stage" to describe the changes in interactions afforded by the addition of another platform. On the "main stage" of a conventional corporate environment, a person may feel compelled to conform to the corporate culture, and the expression of individuality may be limited, which results in a projected image that tends to be formal. In such an environment, Facebook becomes a stage/place where individuals can express and highlight their own personality or hobbies, giving a more personal and informal image to adjust the physical and conventional formal images.