How and when does enterprise social media usage threaten employees’ thriving at work? An affective perspective
Journal of Enterprise Information Management
ISSN: 1741-0398
Article publication date: 30 January 2025
Abstract
Purpose
The impact of enterprise social media (ESM) on employees is not always beneficial. The constant connectivity of ESM can trigger emotional issues, threatening employees' psychological states. This study aims to explore the potential risks of ESM usage on thriving at work by examining how ESM usage affects thriving and for whom this relationship is amplified.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on Affect Event Theory, this study proposes a research model for investigating the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of the negative impacts of different ESM usage patterns on employees' thriving at work. This study employed Smart-PLS 4.0 with structural equation modeling to analyze multi-wave survey data from 255 employees, testing the proposed model.
Findings
The results indicate the following: (1) ESM usage triggers employees' workplace fear of missing out (WFoMO), increasing their online vigilance and consequently hindering their thriving at work. (2) The impact of ESM usage on employees' WFoMO and thriving at work varies with their ambition levels, with high-ambition employees being more susceptible to negative effects and (3) Different types of ESM usage exert distinct effects on employees.
Originality/value
This study substantiates the potential negative impact of ESM usage on employees' thriving at work, contributing to the literature on the “dark side” of ESM usage and thriving at work. This study confirms the critical mediating role of emotion, offering a novel theoretical perspective on understanding the mechanisms linking ESM usage and its outcomes. Additionally, this study identifies the moderating role of employee ambition, complementing the boundary conditions of ESM usage.
Keywords
Citation
Li, Y. and Liu, R. (2025), "How and when does enterprise social media usage threaten employees’ thriving at work? An affective perspective", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-08-2024-0466
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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