Using Social Media in the workplace to

communicate

Student name: Meriya Gahatraj

Student number: 00308554T
Subject code: BIZ101
Subject name: Business Communication
Assessment number: Assesment 2B
Lecturer name: Lucas Vasconcelos Nunes De Oliveira

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Executive summary
The purpose of this report is to create and implement an appropriate communication strategy in
a business. The report will focus on implementing social media in the workplace to
communicate as a new communication strategy.

Torrens University is a multicultural university with many national and international students,
lecturers, and employees. The university should choose and implement the best strategy for
effective communication internally and externally. The use of social media is the best approach
for the university to improve communication.

Social media is an online platform for sharing content, information, and opinions. Many
organizations are already using social media to communicate. Different media are available for
a different purpose, so careful consideration should be done to choose and implement it. The
use of social media has both pros and cons, so while choosing the best platform they should be
analyzed and the platform with more potentials should be chosen. There are also certain things
to consider while implementing social media.

In conclusion, The best communication strategy for the university will be using social media to
communicate. With the growing use of social media over the years, using social media in the
workplace for communication will be beneficial for the university.

After understanding, all the purpose, pros, and cons of different social media that are widely
used these days, the best platform can be identified. Viber, Messenger, and WeChat are the
messaging and video calling sites. The use of these media will make communication in the
university flexible and effective.

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Table of contents

1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................4

1.1 Social media analysis ...................................................................4
2.0 Types of social media .......................................................................4-5
3.0 Potentials of social media .................................................................5
4.0 Effects of the use of social media in the workplace ...........................5-6
4.1 Pros of social media in the workplace ...........................................5
4.2 Cons of social media in the workplace ..........................................6
5.0 Implementation of social media .........................................................6
6.0 Conclusion .........................................................................................6
7.0 Recommendations .............................................................................7

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1.0 Introduction
Torrens University is a home for international students and individuals, the best digital
communication strategy should be applied for effective communication. It is a multicultural
university so, the best social media platform should be used for communication internally and
externally as well as inside and outside of the country.
The report will identify the appropriate digital communication strategy for the university. The
report will focus on the use of social media in the workplace and identify the advantages,
disadvantages, and also provide ways for proper implementation.

1.1Social media Analysis

Social media is a digital tool that creates an opportunity for users to create and share content
with the public. It is a flexible tool covering different kinds of applications and websites. Anyone
with internet access can sign up for a social media account to communicate. According to Aliah
D Wright,2013, "Social media is, in a nutshell, the content generated by online users. It is back-
and-forth communication. It's engaging with people, whether near or far, in ways that have
never been done before."
As per the Digital 2020 Global Overview Report, 3.80 billion active users are on social media as
of January 2020. With the growing use of social media across all ages, using social media can
be the best communication strategy to implement in an organization for quick and effective
communication.
Nowadays, many people are using social media not only for recreation but to share their ideas,
opinions, and knowledge for acknowledgment. Different media are used by different users for a
different purpose, so it is very important to identify a reliable platform and purpose. A lot of
companies are already using social media to promote their organization, for internal and
external communication as well as to learn about the related field.

2.0 Types of social media

Different social media sites are launched every day which are all beneficial but while deciding
the best approach to social media for the company careful consideration should be done. The
following are the most used social media these days by various companies which are also
useful to Torrens University;

- Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter

These sites can be categorized as one, as they have similar uses for the company. It can be
used to connect with people and similar brands online. It is most widely used by the
organizations for marketing and awareness, to connect with the colleagues easily, and to
update customers and related individuals about the organization (Foreman, 2017).

- Quora, Reddit
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Such blogs are used by organizations and individuals to discuss, find, and share news,
opinions, and information. All the major information about the organization can be shared
through these media along with answering the queries of the clients and employees.

- Messenger, WeChat, Viber

These are the messaging and video calling sites that are popular these days. All the group
messages, calls, and even online meetings can be done on these sites. It can be used for both
internal and external communication of the organization.

3.0 Potentials of Social Media

Social media is the platform for sharing various information and opinions of people, having
much more potential to make communication in the workplace better. To fully utilize all the
potentials of social media, efforts to choose and implement the best media should be done. It is
easier to reach out to employees and audiences, promote our organization, and create business
relations accessing social media. All the work schedules, notice, and information within the
organization can be shared. The recruitment of new employees and related individuals can be
done that will help to build and enhance the organization.
Since, The university focuses on both national and international lectures, students and other
personnel, social media can be to reach them. It will help in the recruitment of the employees
along with the admission of new students. All the necessary information, timetables, routines,
exam dates, and other updates can be shared simply to the related user in less time. It will be
easier to address various problems and provide solutions that will bring effectiveness and
flexibility in the communication of the organization.

Hello I’m Sushan and Now i am going to continue from the part my friend had talked about

4.0 Effects of the use of social media in the workplace

The use of social media enhances interactions. It is a useful tool for the organization bringing
many advantages, however, it can also bring some disadvantages. Therefore, upon deciding
the best social media for the organization both merits and demerits should be carefully
considered.

4.1 Merits of social media in the workplace

Social media can be the best platform for marketing, recognition, and mass communication
(Forsgren, E., & Bystrom, K.,2018). The required information can easily be searched. It provides
motivation and encouragement to the user to come up with innovative ideas. It will strengthen
the relationship between coworkers. In the university, Its use will encourage collaborative
relations and interaction among the students, lecturers, and all related colleagues. It will help in

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both internal and external communication making it faster and effective. It helps in shaping the
culture of the organization (2cloudnine, 2013).

4.2 Demerits of social media in the workplace

Anyone can easily get distracted while using social media. The major drawback of using social
media would be cyber insecurity, so not every information is safe in social media (Wright, 2013).
It will not always be an effective way to communicate. In the university, where only young
people are targeted the use of social media will lead to distraction and, also not everyone has
access to all social media platforms.

5. Appropriate social media platform for the university

The best social media platform to implement in the university will be messaging and video
calling sites like Messenger, WeChat, or Viber. These sites are easier and effective to use. All
the Schedules, notices, and important issues can be shared making it faster and transparent.
The university can make group chats and calls that will help in developing a mutual relationship
among students, students and lecturers, and other personnel.

5.0 Implementation of social media in the workplace

To implement the appropriate social media platform, the use, pros, and cons of that platform
must be carefully considered. The misuse of such platforms can be mitigated by making policies
governing social media use at work and by training employees on those policies (Wright, 2013).
All the users in the workplace should use different accounts for work and personal use and only
useful content should be shared. Before the implementation, the availability of cybersecurity
must be considered. The appropriate and familiar platform for all the users which will be
beneficial for the organization must be selected.

6.0 Conclusion
The appropriate communication strategy is required for achieving the business goal and using
social media can benefit the organization. Moreover, The use of social media is growing every
year. The best social media platform will help in the enhancement of the organizational
structure. The effectiveness of communication will strengthen both internal and external
relations of the organization. Although it has both advantages and disadvantages, if we
implement it properly, the disadvantages can be avoided.

7.0 Recommendations

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It is recommended for the university to choose the best digital communication strategy that is
the use of social media. The university must understand all the purpose, pros, and cons of the
strategy to be implemented. All the related users of the media should be made clear of the
purpose and also they should be encouraged not to misuse the media.
Torrens University is already using social media like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and
Instagram. The other best social platform for university will be Messenger, Wechat, or Viber as
they have similar purpose and features. Recently, many people are using Wechat, Viber, or
Messenger and find it easy and effective. The university can make group chats with many
internal and external users about various issues. It will help in developing a mutual relationship
among students, between students and lecturers, and other personnel. All the Schedules,
notices, and important issues can be shared in less time. The communication will be faster and
transparent.

8.0 References
- Wright, A. D. (2013). A necessary evil: managing employee activity on facebook, twitter,
linkedin ... and hundreds of other social media sites. Society for Human Resource Management.
Retrieved from:
https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/oclc/854569723
- Forsgren, E., & Bystrom, K. (2018). Multiple social media in the workplace: contradictions and
congruencies. Information Systems Journal, 28(3), 442–464.
Retrieved from:
https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/oclc/7579052365
- Kemp, S. (2020). DIGITAL 2020: GLOBAL DIGITAL OVERVIEW.
Retrieved from:
https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-global-digital-overview
- 2cloudnine. (2013). How social media can be used to improve internal (and external)
communications
Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwkBWzQOsNM&t=199s
- Foremen, C. (2017). 10 Types of Social Media and How Each Can Benefit Your Business.
Retrieved from:
https://blog.hootsuite.com/types-of-social-media/

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