Social media use by teachers during work and its effects on their performance: the role of teacher's wellbeing and social media addiction

BackgroundAlthough extant literature has investigated the impacts of social sites on employees' job performance in different sectors, scholars have given little attention to teachers' job performance (TJoP) in higher educational institutes.PurposeWe aimed to investigate the direct and mediating impact of social media use (SMU) on TJoP. Based on social cognitive theory, this study proposed a model that consists of six hypotheses.Methodology: To empirically test the model, we develop a survey link to collect data from respondents working in universities in Jiangsu province, China. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4 has been used for analyzing 454 respondents.ResultsResearch findings demonstrate the significant effects of SMU on TJoP, well-being, and social media addiction (SMAdd). In addition, teachers' well-being and SMAdd have a positive and negative significant effect, respectively, on TJoP. Moreover, this research evidenced a significant partial mediation of teachers' well-being and SMAdd.ConclusionThis study points out the key role of SMU in the direct and indirect influences of TJoP through well-being and SMAdd. Further, it brings into view the urgency of higher education to prudently consider the implications of SMU on performance and general well-being among its faculty.