Is it okay to use social network sites such as Facebook during work time? And how would that answer change if there was a version of Facebook made for work?
This paper will give an overview of the existing research on using social networking sites for ostensibly private purposes during work hours or for work purposes. This will then be contrasted with the emerging research on what is alternately called “enterprise social media” or “internal social media”. As a point of departure, the paper will focus on the platform Workplace by Facebook, which has been gradually introduced into Scandinavian contexts over the past few years.
The conventional points of resistance and criticism to platforms such as Facebook will be briefly summarised. This will then lead into a discussion of the specific problems and opportunities that arise when introducing this specific platform and ones like it in the workplace.
Finally, I will present the results of a pilot inquiry into the use and adoption of Workplace by Facebook, where a small number of informants have been qualitatively interviewed about their adoption of, uses of and attitudes towards the platform.