Examining the relationship between sociomaterial practices enacted in the organizational use of social media and the emerging role of organizational generativity

The growth of social media has enabled new operating methods and sparked organizational optimism in social technologies. We must broadly and distinctively identify the practices enacted in the organizational use of social technologies, understand how these practices influence each other, and the mechanisms driving their achievement. This paper deduces the sociomaterial practices enacted in the organizational use of social media and the augmenting generative capabilities. We surveyed seventy-three (73) organizations, collected 267 usable responses and applied structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques to analyze the data. The paper offers two contributions. First, we utilize the affordances-in-practice perspective to identify and categorize organizational practices enacted on social media, including functional, symbolic, and interactive practices. Then, we highlight the role of organizational generativity in facilitating these practices. Generativity represents the ability to revitalize, procreate, and introduce new ways of acting in dynamic or transient situations. Overall, our findings show how social media practices relate to organizational generativity and the mediating role of symbolic-driven practices.