Knowledge Sharing through Social Media Platforms in the Silicon Age

Abstract

While making an appeal to the social exchange theory, self-determination theory and the uses and gratification theory of motivation, the study seeks to investigate the efficacy of social media platforms in promoting knowledge sharing in contemporary times, which are marked by widespread digital transformation and knowledge-driven governance. Through a PLS-based structural equation modelling performed on a dataset obtained from 450 business professionals working at disparate managerial levels in diverse organizations and institutions, it has been found that the use of social media platforms significantly amplifies knowledge sharing. It has further been discovered that the efficacy of social media platforms in maturing knowledge sharing increases both with the elevation of motivation to share knowledge and the motivation to use social media. The study is one that offers rich theory-laden conceptualization and/or explanation grounded in diverse sets of theories encompassing individual as well as collective social and behavioral antecedents and contingencies of technology–human interaction dynamics regarding knowledge sharing in virtual environments, besides offering useful insights to researchers and practitioners alike to help them better understand and/or manage knowledge sharing through social media platforms.