We’re going to be hosting a table talk at the SMiLE London event on 25th September in London.
We’ll be discussing whether or not ESNs are a force for good or evil and exploring the psychological and people impacts of using ESNs.
Why are we interested in this area? Social media is becoming an increasingly important feature within our lives: an estimated 60% of all Internet users now access some type of social networking platform (CIPD, 2012). However research into the ways in which social media impacts our psychological wellbeing, happiness and engagement is still scarce. This is particularly true of research which looks at the impacts of social media used within the confines of an organisation: however many commentators argue that ESN will become an essential communication tool of the future (Gose 2013).
We want to talk about:
- The current body of evidence, both published research but also our own experiences as users
- The case for research in this area – commentators argue that way we communicate externally and internally is changing at a rapid pace; we need to understand the implications of this on employees to ensure we maximize the potential of digital communication and avoid mistakes
- The reasons behind use and non-use of social media from an individual psychological perspective and the implications of this on internal comms and HRM
- Current thinking on how employees use social media and seek to understand if the way people use these tools then has an impact in their subsequent wellbeing/ engagement
We think this is a really fascinating topic and we’re going to be launching some research into this area in the coming months. So either come along to SMiLE London and join in the conversation or drop Emma a line if you’d like to be included in the research of have some thoughts or ideas ….
