Critical social research in enterprise social network studies: a systematised overview and analysis

Ennis, Andrew E

Critical social research in enterprise social network studies: a systematised overview and analysis

Thesis / Dissertation

2025

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC)

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

This review examines peer-reviewed articles on the internal use of Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs) within organizations, focusing on their impact on employee well-being and internal communication. It differentiates between critical social research (CSR) and administrative research (AR) on ESN use. CSR looks at power dynamics and socio-ethical impacts, while AR aims to improve organisational efficiency. The review categorises articles from major databases, identifying key methodologies and theories. Findings show that CSR is less common but growing, with trends focusing on employee well-being and knowledge management. The review offers a framework for distinguishing CSR from non-CSR to guide future studies and promote ethically informed perspectives.

Keywords

critical social research

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