Chapter 2 – Literature Review 2.1 Introduction
Kaplan and Haenlein (2010: 61) describes social media as, a set of worldwide web based interconnected applications developed through the ideas characterised by technology that is underpinned by Web 2.0 which is the current state of internet evolution, to enable the generation and interchanging of data. In addition Mayfield (2008) mentioned that the discerning characteristics of social media involves contribution, accessibility, dialogues, groups and linkage, as compared to traditional media which only delivers content, whilst social media encourages agile user engagement (Allen & Overy, 2012).
Grahl (2014), founder and president of Out:think categorises social media into six main types, being …show more content…
Hodgkinson (2007a, 2007b) stated that organizations have to really assess their state of readiness for collaboration, information and knowledge sharing and determine if their existing social connections are open or closed. In addition Hodgkinson (2007a, 2007b) mentioned that social media will be an un-avoided loss to such organizational environments, with cultural aspects that are hierarchical, authoritative and politically inclined and it should be realised as very different to the incomparable, self-managing communities as noticed in the consumer space.
However sustaining the staff morale and job satisfaction, while maintaining the authority and productivity has been a major challenge to the leaders. The patrons of social media and collaboration platforms have asserted that the abrasion in collaboration could be eliminated by these open instruments. Tapscott & Williams, (2006), alluded that these mechanisms can generate a culture of sharing (IBM, 2007) whilst strengthening the job fulfilment and improved productivity. The next subsection to this chapter provides a global overview of the impact social media has on …show more content…
In addition social media has had a significant impact in Africa, with specific application on the healthcare sector. Adejumo, (2014), stated that social media can create communities in which health information can be disseminated to communities which would otherwise not be easily accessible. “Through these virtual communities, critical information can be shared among patients and creating great social peer support for healthcare providers. This is important because empowered patients can manage their health better”. In Tanzania, the use of social media particularly, facebook presented a platform through which certain health messages could be targeted to young people (Dolan, 2011, Pieffer, Kleeb, Mbelwa & Ahorlu, 2014). Here, many authors have alluded to the use of social media in Africa. Africa, having many infrastructure issues and health care problems can make use of social media in order to get their messages across very quickly. This section provided an overview of social media in Africa, the next subsection of this chapter provides and overview of social media in South Africa