In the rapidly evolving landscape of corporate communication and employee engagement, the influence of social media (SM) has become a subject of intense scrutiny among researchers and organizational leaders alike. A groundbreaking study by Mohiya (2025) delves into the complex interplay between social media usage, job satisfaction, perceived organizational support, and ultimately employee engagement—revealing nuanced and, at times, counterintuitive dynamics that challenge prevailing assumptions about digital tools in the workplace.
Central to the analysis was a comprehensive correlation matrix exploring relationships between various behavioral and social media-related variables within organizational contexts. The findings indicated robust positive associations among behavioral variables, suggesting that employee behaviors tend to correspond strongly with one another in predictable patterns. Interestingly, the total use of social media was positively correlated with many behavioral variables except for some social media-specific metrics that showed limited or non-significant relationships, underpinning the multifaceted role of these platforms.
A particularly striking result emerged from the negative correlation between the diversity of professional categories involved and total social media use; organizations with a broader variety of professionals tended to employ fewer social media tools. However, these organizations reported a positive association between social media benefits and their professional diversity. Such findings hint at a paradox where despite limited tool usage, perceived benefits may stem from more strategic or selective social media engagements—a phenomenon warranting deeper exploration in future research.
Moreover, the importance assigned to social media in an employee’s career showed a negative correlation with total social media use but aligned positively with perceived social media benefits. This suggests a disconnect where employees valuing social media as a career asset may not necessarily engage extensively with social media at work, yet recognize its advantages. Adding complexity to this dynamic, use of social media platforms to represent the company did not manifest significant correlations with other study variables, a concerning revelation regarding organizational communication strategies in the digital age.
Delving into regression analyses, the research revealed that the mere number of social media tools utilized within an organization does not reliably predict job satisfaction or perceived organizational support. While certain platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter exhibited associations—some positive, others negative—with job satisfaction and employee engagement, the relationships were inconsistent. For instance, professional use of Myspace correlated negatively with job satisfaction, whereas Twitter, despite enhancing the correlation between job satisfaction and employee engagement, displayed a paradoxical negative relationship with employee engagement.
The investigation also differentiated social media usage based on frequency and context—general use, professional, and professional weekly use—to unpack their varying impacts. Only online communities demonstrated a significant positive correlation with job satisfaction, while other tools, including news alerts, failed to reach statistical significance. Simultaneously, social media use was frequently negatively correlated with perceived organizational support; activities such as sharing organizational information with customers or suppliers, informal employee communication, and employing platforms like Twitter or Facebook were linked to lower perceptions of organizational support among employees.
Notably, organizational efforts to engage employees through social media lacked a strong positive impact on job satisfaction. Although correlations existed, many did not achieve statistical significance, revealing a potential gap between intended engagement strategies and employee experiences. Discussion board usage by organizations correlated negatively with perceived organizational support at meaningful levels, further challenging hypotheses suggesting social media’s uniformly beneficial role in workplace satisfaction.
The study’s findings illuminate a critical caveat in the adoption of social media for internal communications. Despite the widespread assumption that social media facilitates stronger connections, traditional communication methods like emails and face-to-face meetings scored higher regarding effectiveness and frequency of use. This possibly reflects demographic factors, as the surveyed workforce’s average age hovered around 36 years—older than the typical social media-native generation—indicating generational preferences may influence communication efficacy.
Analysis of usage patterns disclosed that Facebook topped the list of social media platforms utilized by employees for general purposes, followed by LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, and discussion boards, with wikis being the least favored. However, the relationship between the quantity of social media usage and job satisfaction was not statistically significant, emphasizing that mere access or frequency is insufficient to impact employee attitudinal outcomes meaningfully.
Further regression analyses investigated nuanced organizational practices, revealing that social media use to share content with customers and suppliers accounted for 13% of the variance in perceived organizational support—but intriguingly, with a negative effect size. This suggests that when communication shifts from face-to-face interactions to digital platforms, employees may feel less supported or valued by their organizations, perhaps reflecting a loss of personal connection or organizational presence.
Underlying the entire social media discussion is the pivotal role of organizational culture, which demonstrated exceptionally high correlations with both job satisfaction and perceived organizational support. The culture variable accounted for nearly 47% of the variance in job satisfaction and 62% of the variance in perceived organizational support in regression analyses, underscoring the bedrock influence of internal cultural environments over digital communication tools.
Additionally, strong evidence supported the hypothesis that heightened job satisfaction correlates positively with elevated employee engagement, with job satisfaction explaining approximately 21% of the variance in engagement levels. Parallel findings highlighted similarly robust correlations between perceived organizational support and employee engagement, with perceived support slightly outperforming job satisfaction as a predictor. Reliability metrics further suggest that perceived organizational support may be a more stable and accurate measure in workplace studies, given the emotional volatility that can accompany self-reported job satisfaction data.
Taken together, these results compel a reevaluation of the role social media plays in the employee experience. While some platforms and usage types offer benefits or exert influence, the overall landscape is neither uniform nor unequivocally positive. Instead, outcomes hinge on the interplay between platform choice, frequency of use, organizational culture, and employees’ perceptions of support.
The research culminates in a refined theoretical model that positions organizational culture as a foundational determinant influencing perceived organizational support and job satisfaction, which in turn mediate employee engagement. Social media’s role is thus framed not as a direct driver but as a contextual factor whose effects are filtered and modulated through these core organizational constructs.
For organizations grappling with the integration of social media into their communication and engagement strategies, these findings underscore the importance of nuanced, context-sensitive approaches. Digital tools may enhance certain dimensions of engagement and satisfaction if aligned with robust cultural foundations and supportive organizational systems. Conversely, indiscriminate or misaligned social media use may exacerbate feelings of detachment, reduce perceptions of support, and ultimately hinder engagement.
This study highlights the critical need for future research to disentangle causal pathways and to explore generational differences, platform-specific effects, and the qualitative aspects of digital interactions in workplace settings. Furthermore, organizations must consider blending traditional communication methods with thoughtfully implemented social media strategies to optimize employee experiences in an increasingly digital world.
Mohiya’s work plays a vital role in reshaping our understanding of social media’s complex, heterogeneous effects within organizations. By illuminating the mediating influence of job satisfaction and perceived organizational support on employee engagement, this research provides both caution and guidance for practitioners seeking to leverage social media as a tool for enhancing workforce connectedness and performance in the 21st century.
—
Subject of Research: Social media’s impact on employee engagement mediated by job satisfaction and perceived organizational support.
Article Title: The effect of social media on employee engagement: the mediating role of job satisfaction and perceived organizational support.
Article References:
Mohiya, M. The effect of social media on employee engagement: the mediating role of job satisfaction and perceived organizational support.
Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 559 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04849-1
Image Credits: AI Generated
