Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

How Does Social Media Affect Job Satisfaction and Morale of Workers?

The purpose of this study is to understand the effect that social media has on people’s concentration, performance, and productivity in the workplace. Using a quantitative survey methodology sampling college faculty, students, and the general public over the age of 18, we tested hypotheses regarding social media having a positive effect on job satisfaction and worker morale and whether social media affects younger users differently than older users. We also investigate whether social media use for entertainment versus work purposes affects people differently. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis. Thus far, there are peer-reviewed academic sources that support the idea of social media having a positive effect on employees in terms of job satisfaction and worker morale, social media having more of an effect on the younger generations of workers than older generations, and different types of social media use affecting employees in different ways. Our data collected to date is also supporting our hypotheses, however, data collection is still underway. The results of this study have the potential to inform business practices around social media and how it is affecting employees in the workplace in terms of satisfaction and worker morale. This information allows employers to create better policies around social media in order to attract and retain top talent. It may also improve the perception employees have of their workplace.