The social media cocktail party : A qualitative study of how companies and organizations communicate online

Sammanfattning: Due to the development of, and the opportunities that social media provides for different groups in society, companies and organizations are encouraged to be present on, and be a part of the new social media landscape. This research examines how five companies and five organizations use social media as a tool to create relationships with individuals, and what role social media plays in the daily communication work. The social media platforms discussed in this research companies and organizations can utilize not only to create an identity and work with branding, but also to apply two-way communication with individuals. The research applies qualitative interviews with representatives from each company and organization. The main findings revealed surprisingly that there are not any significant differences between companies’ and organizations’ way of using social media, but that it differs more between different kinds of companies and organizations. Most companies and organizations use different social media platforms for different purposes or to reach different target groups. Facebook and Instagram are the two platforms that most companies and organizations from the research use. Facebook is generally used to share information and Instagram to inspire. Furthermore, social media provides different possibilities to reach out to people than more traditional ways of communication such as print advertising and newsletters. Hence, social media plays an important role in the work with communication in order to reach out to people and can have a decisive effect for companies and organizations. The advantages of social media that the participating companies and organizations emphasized are that they get to have their own voice, they can themselves create interest and commitment, rather than using a PR-firm for example, and it enables two-way communication which in turn foster relationships with individuals. Finally, one of the biggest advantages highlighted is the fast communication that is enabled on social media platforms which keep the companies and organizations closer to the public