Heuristics for Commercial Friendships in Social Media: Benefits and Risks

Sabine Matook, Susan A. Brown

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Social media (SM) has evolved into a common technology to establish and maintain relationships with friends, family, and colleagues. Yet, recently SM users have used the platforms less for their personal relationship management. Thus, the opportunities for companies to interact with their customers were reduced. This paper conceptualizes how companies need to approach a commercial friendship with SM users so that the user provides access for the firm representative to their personal sphere online. The focus is on understanding the heuristics users would apply based on certain decision factors. We build on the relationship marketing literature that suggests the willingness of SM members to engage in relationships with business representatives is tied to social, psychological, economic, and customization benefits. Our short paper presents the research model and describes the proposed research method to aid in understanding the factors motivating SM users to accept commercial representatives as a real friend.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication42nd International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2021 TREOs
Subtitle of host publication"Building Sustainability and Resilience with IS: A Call for Action"
PublisherAssociation for Information Systems
ISBN (Electronic)9781713893608
StatePublished - 2021
Event42nd International Conference on Information Systems: Building Sustainability and Resilience with IS: A Call for Action, ICIS 2021 TREOs - Austin, United States
Duration: Dec 12 2021Dec 15 2021

Publication series

Name42nd International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2021 TREOs: "Building Sustainability and Resilience with IS: A Call for Action"

Conference

Conference42nd International Conference on Information Systems: Building Sustainability and Resilience with IS: A Call for Action, ICIS 2021 TREOs
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAustin
Period12/12/2112/15/21

Keywords

  • exchange theory
  • friendships
  • relationships
  • scenarios
  • Social media

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Science Applications
  • Information Systems

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