IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eurman/v36y2018i4p431-438.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social media? It's serious! Understanding the dark side of social media

Author

Listed:
  • Baccarella, Christian V.
  • Wagner, Timm F.
  • Kietzmann, Jan H.
  • McCarthy, Ian P.

Abstract

Research and practice have mostly focused on the “bright side” of social media, aiming to understand and help in leveraging the manifold opportunities afforded by this technology. However, it is increasingly observable that social media present enormous risks for individuals, communities, firms, and even for society as a whole. Examples for this “dark side” of social media include cyberbullying, addictive use, trolling, online witch hunts, fake news, and privacy abuse. In this article, we aim to illustrate the multidimensionality of the dark side of social media and describe the related various undesirable outcomes. To do this, we adapt the established social media honeycomb framework to explain the dark side implications of each of the seven functional building blocks: conversations, sharing, presence, relationships, reputation, groups, and identity. On the basis of these reflections, we present a number of avenues for future research, so as to facilitate a better understanding and use of social media.

Suggested Citation

  • Baccarella, Christian V. & Wagner, Timm F. & Kietzmann, Jan H. & McCarthy, Ian P., 2018. "Social media? It's serious! Understanding the dark side of social media," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 431-438.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:36:y:2018:i:4:p:431-438
    DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2018.07.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263237318300781
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.emj.2018.07.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hannah, David R. & McCarthy, Ian P. & Kietzmann, Jan, 2015. "We’re leaking, and everything's fine: How and why companies deliberately leak secrets," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 58(6), pages 659-667.
    2. Hunt Allcott & Matthew Gentzkow, 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election," NBER Working Papers 23089, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. van Zoonen, Ward & Verhoeven, Joost W.M. & Vliegenthart, Rens, 2017. "Understanding the consequences of public social media use for work," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 595-605.
    4. Kaplan, Andreas M. & Haenlein, Michael, 2010. "Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 59-68, January.
    5. Mark Eisenegger, 2009. "Trust and reputation in the age of globalisation," Springer Books, in: Joachim Klewes & Robert Wreschniok (ed.), Reputation Capital, pages 11-22, Springer.
    6. Smith, Andrew N. & Fischer, Eileen & Yongjian, Chen, 2012. "How Does Brand-related User-generated Content Differ across YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter?," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 102-113.
    7. David S. Scharfstein & Jeremy C. Stein, 2000. "The Dark Side of Internal Capital Markets: Divisional Rent‐Seeking and Inefficient Investment," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(6), pages 2537-2564, December.
    8. Kietzmann, Jan H. & Hermkens, Kristopher & McCarthy, Ian P. & Silvestre, Bruno S., 2011. "Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 241-251, May.
    9. Rajagopal, 2014. "The Human Factors," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Architecting Enterprise, chapter 9, pages 225-249, Palgrave Macmillan.
    10. Joachim Klewes & Robert Wreschniok, 2009. "Reputation capital Building and maintaining trust in the 21st century," Springer Books, in: Joachim Klewes & Robert Wreschniok (ed.), Reputation Capital, pages 1-8, Springer.
    11. Wagner, Timm F. & Baccarella, Christian V. & Voigt, Kai-Ingo, 2017. "Framing social media communication: Investigating the effects of brand post appeals on user interaction," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 606-616.
    12. Paniagua, Jordi & Korzynski, Pawel & Mas-Tur, Alicia, 2017. "Crossing borders with social media: Online social networks and FDI," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 314-326.
    13. Wilson, Matthew & Robson, Karen & Botha, Elsamari, 2017. "Crowdsourcing in a time of empowered stakeholders: Lessons from crowdsourcing campaigns," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 247-253.
    14. Hunt Allcott & Matthew Gentzkow, 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 211-236, Spring.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yuchi Zhang & Chengpei Xu & Hanyue Dai & Xiaoyu Jia, 2021. "Psychological Distress and Adolescents’ Cyberbullying under Floods and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Parent–Child Relationships and Negotiable Fate as Moderators," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, November.
    2. João Varela da Costa & Silvia Bogea Gomes & Miguel Mira da Silva, 2024. "Fake News: a conceptual model for risk management," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Ataharul Chowdhury & Khondokar H. Kabir & Abdul-Rahim Abdulai & Md Firoze Alam, 2023. "Systematic Review of Misinformation in Social and Online Media for the Development of an Analytical Framework for Agri-Food Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, March.
    4. Greta Castellini & Mariarosaria Savarese & Guendalina Graffigna, 2021. "Online Fake News about Food: Self-Evaluation, Social Influence, and the Stages of Change Moderation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-13, March.
    5. Hanane Thamik & Jiang Wu, 2022. "The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development in Electronic Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
    6. Md Shahzalal & Hamedi M Adnan & Fadli Abdullah, 2023. "University Students’ Perceived Self-control and Prosocial Norms for Beneficial Social Media Use," Studies in Media and Communication, Redfame publishing, vol. 11(6), pages 171-180, September.
    7. Sands, Sean & Campbell, Colin & Ferraro, Carla & Mavrommatis, Alexis, 2020. "Seeing light in the dark: Investigating the dark side of social media and user response strategies," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 45-53.
    8. Yogesh K. Dwivedi & Nir Kshetri & Laurie Hughes & Nripendra P. Rana & Abdullah M. Baabdullah & Arpan Kumar Kar & Alex Koohang & Samuel Ribeiro-Navarrete & Nina Belei & Janarthanan Balakrishnan & Sripa, 2023. "Exploring the Darkverse: A Multi-Perspective Analysis of the Negative Societal Impacts of the Metaverse," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 2071-2114, October.
    9. Hattingh, Marie & Dhir, Amandeep & Ractham, Peter & Ferraris, Alberto & Yahiaoui, Dorra, 2022. "Factors mediating social media-induced fear of missing out (FoMO) and social media fatigue: A comparative study among Instagram and Snapchat users," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    10. Mogaji, Emmanuel & Nguyen, Nguyen Phong, 2022. "The dark side of mobile money: Perspectives from an emerging economy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    11. Bahareh Farhoudinia & Selcen Ozturkcan & Nihat Kasap, 2024. "Emotions unveiled: detecting COVID-19 fake news on social media," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jordi Paniagua & Rafael Rivelles & Juan Sapena, 2019. "Social Determinants of Success: Social Media, Corporate Governance and Revenue," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Zagidullin, Marat & Aziz, Nergis & Kozhakhmet, Sanat, 2021. "Government policies and attitudes to social media use among users in Turkey: The role of awareness of policies, political involvement, online trust, and party identification," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    3. Fathey Mohammed & Nabil Hasan Al-Kumaim & Ahmed Ibrahim Alzahrani & Yousef Fazea, 2023. "The Impact of Social Media Shared Health Content on Protective Behavior against COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Folajimi Ashiru & Franklin Nakpodia & Jacqueline J You, 2023. "Adapting emerging digital communication technologies for resilience: evidence from Nigerian SMEs," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 327(2), pages 795-823, August.
    5. Bizzi, Lorenzo & Labban, Alice, 2019. "The double-edged impact of social media on online trading: Opportunities, threats, and recommendations for organizations," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 62(4), pages 509-519.
    6. Islam, A.K.M. Najmul & Laato, Samuli & Talukder, Shamim & Sutinen, Erkki, 2020. "Misinformation sharing and social media fatigue during COVID-19: An affordance and cognitive load perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    7. Arcuri, Maria Cristina & Gandolfi, Gino & Russo, Ivan, 2023. "Does fake news impact stock returns? Evidence from US and EU stock markets," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 125.
    8. Laura Studen & Victor Tiberius, 2020. "Social Media, Quo Vadis? Prospective Development and Implications," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-22, August.
    9. Drago Ruzic & Antun Bilos & Filip Radulovic, 2018. "Preliminary Study Of Personal Marketing In The Digital Environment: Attributes And Perception Of Internet Users In Croatia," Economic Thought and Practice, Department of Economics and Business, University of Dubrovnik, vol. 27(1), pages 209-229, june.
    10. Roma, Paolo & Aloini, Davide, 2019. "How does brand-related user-generated content differ across social media? Evidence reloaded," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 322-339.
    11. Täuscher, Karl, 2017. "Leveraging collective intelligence: How to design and manage crowd-based business models," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 237-245.
    12. Xinran Dai & Jing Wang, 2023. "Effect of online video infotainment on audience attention," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, December.
    13. Atthaphon Mumi & Michael Obal & Yi Yang, 2019. "Investigating social media as a firm’s signaling strategy through an IPO," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 631-645, October.
    14. Talwar, Shalini & Dhir, Amandeep & Kaur, Puneet & Zafar, Nida & Alrasheedy, Melfi, 2019. "Why do people share fake news? Associations between the dark side of social media use and fake news sharing behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 72-82.
    15. Sands, Sean & Campbell, Colin & Ferraro, Carla & Mavrommatis, Alexis, 2020. "Seeing light in the dark: Investigating the dark side of social media and user response strategies," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 45-53.
    16. Chan, Chitat, 2018. "Analysing social networks for social work practice: A case study of the Facebook fan page of an online youth outreach project," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 143-150.
    17. Bruno Schivinski & Dariusz Dabrowski, 2013. "The Impact of Brand Communication on Brand Equity Dimensions and Brand Purchase Intention Through Facebook," GUT FME Working Paper Series A 4, Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdansk University of Technology.
    18. Korzynski, Pawel & Mazurek, Grzegorz & Haenlein, Michael, 2020. "Leveraging employees as spokespeople in your HR strategy: How company-related employee posts on social media can help firms to attract new talent," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 204-212.
    19. Patricia L. Moravec & Antino Kim & Alan R. Dennis, 2020. "Appealing to Sense and Sensibility: System 1 and System 2 Interventions for Fake News on Social Media," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(3), pages 987-1006, September.
    20. Suvodeep Mazumdar & Dhavalkumar Thakker, 2020. "Citizen Science on Twitter: Using Data Analytics to Understand Conversations and Networks," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-22, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:36:y:2018:i:4:p:431-438. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/115/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.