Social Media's Place in the Office

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok—these social media platforms have revolutionized modern society. Thanks to these digital platforms, the very nature of human communication and interaction has shifted, now that we have the ability to watch historic events unfold before us on a YouTube livestream, or share an important update with potentially thousands of people in our networks on LinkedIn. But as with any major development in the course of human history, there are pros and cons. How do the two sides of social media play out in the context of the office? Read on to learn more!

what is social media?

Before we can dive into the benefits and disadvantages of social media in the office, it’s worth defining this often-times nebulous term. Internet and marketing scholars Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.” Here’s a further breakdown of this definition, as explored by Kaplan and Haenlein:

Web 2.0:

The first iteration of the Internet, Web 1.0, can be understood as a static environment where it was only possible to search for and read information. Think of it like a bulletin board—but one where you could only look at the posters tacked onto it. With the advent of Web 2.0, it became possible for anyone to post on this metaphorical bulletin board, and to interact with any of the postings in new ways. In other words, Web 2.0 can be characterized as the highly-interactive, highly-participatory Internet that we know of today.

User-generated content:

User-generated content can be thought of as the flyers that anyone can post on the bulletin board of the Internet. It is the content created by the average virtual denizen, posts like a Facebook life update, an Instagram photo of last Sunday’s brunch, a Tik Tok covering the latest dance craze.

With these further definitions in mind, social media can be understood as the digital platforms in which users can create, share, and interact with other user-created content within the virtual plane of the Internet.

the dangers of social media

Given the unprecedented change that social media has brought to modern society, there are certain complications and dangers present in the technologies that have arisen. For example, the debate over whether or not social media negatively impacts mental health by increasing rates of depression and decreasing your sense of self-worth is ripewith arguments that identify social media as guilty. Put simply, spending long amounts of time on social media can increase the rate and scale at which we compare ourselves to others, ultimately hurting our overall mental health.

Furthermore, the current design of social media contains more insidious undertones. Tristan Harris, Google’s former Design Ethicist, outlines a number of ways in which social media is designed to “hijack” our brains, including the endless scroll of our timelines and feeds, and the randomization of our feeds whenever we refresh them (much like the randomization to come from a slot machine). Social media scholar Christian Fuchs explains that these seemingly addictive design choices are due to the profit models of social media companies, which are built upon maximizing the time we spend on their digital platforms. This increases the rate at which we are exposed to (and the chances that we click on) the targeted advertisements paid for by the social media companies’ advertising clients. In other words, whenever we scroll through Twitter or Instagram, we are not the consumer; instead, we are the products that are being sold by social media companies to their advertising clients.

How social media can benefit the office

And while there are certainly many criticisms to acknowledge when discussing social media, it would be unfair not to discuss the benefits that the technology can hold. Social media is, after all, a tool meant to help us learn, share, and connect with each other! Here are some ways that social media can benefit the office:

Gives a mental break for employees: Taking breaks throughout the work day is important, and social media can provide a nice respite from any mentally-vigorous tasks that you may be working on. For instance, watching a few funny cat videos on Facebook can be just what you need before you get back to crunching some important numbers!
Facilitates professional networking: It’s no secret that LinkedIn is one of the premiere social media platforms for the working professional. Through the site, you can expand your network and make some professional connections that could lead to future collaboration and opportunities!
Enhances problem solving: Another benefit that social media can provide the office is its ability to enhance problem solving. If you and your team are stumped by a question that no amount of Google searching can resolve, then turning to your digital networks to pose your question may provide the solution that you are seeking.
Serves as an effective marketing tool: One final benefit that social media can yield your office is as a promotional marketing tool. If you have a new product or an upcoming event you want to showcase, turning to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter can be the perfect way to get the word out.

in conclusion

In the end, social media is a tool that carries with it both good and bad aspects. At its worst, social media can suck you into its seemingly bottomless rabbit hole of comment threads and videos, distracting you from accomplishing anything during the work day; at its best, it’s a channel that brings new depth to your ability to communicate with and learn from the others in your industry, enabling your company to reach greater heights. If you find that your company struggles more with the former half of social media, it may be a good idea to limit prolonged phone use to your office’s break room. And here at Facility Solutions Plus, we can help you design the perfect breakroom in which your employees can scroll through their feeds to decompress, learn something new, and so much more.

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