SOCIAL MEDIA USE TO SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE FACE OF DISRUPTION

Abstract

By comparing respondents in Egypt and the United States this paper examines whether the rise of virtual social networks to support entrepreneurship may be more important in driving entrepreneurial intent in countries undergoing disruption. Further, this research developed a new factor of “social media self-efficacy” as a predictor of perceived behavioral control in entrepreneurial intent. Results were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS), employing the double bootstrap comparison method for improved accuracy. Social media self-efficacy provided significant, unique variance for both samples in predicting perceived behavioral control above and beyond the contribution of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and access to entrepreneurial resources. Social media self-efficacy was significantly more influential for Egyptians than for Americans in predicting perceived behavioral control; entrepreneurial self-efficacy and access to resources were significantly more influential for Americans. This research introduces a framework for conceptualizing a social media role in promoting entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on its likely importance for contexts suffering from institutional voids or severe institutional instability.