ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, ITS ADOPTION AND USAGE PATTERNS WITHIN ACCOUNTING FIRMS

Job  DUBIHLELA; Rosebud  RUNDORA

Authors

Job DUBIHLELA Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Email: jobo.dubihlela@nmmu.ac.za. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6228-6524
Rosebud RUNDORA Vaal University of Technology, Johannesburg, South Africa. Corresponding author: jobo.dubihlela@nmmu.ac.za. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6385-8552

Keywords:

Accounting firms, social media, social media adoption, social media usage, South Africa

Abstract

Technological advances continue to expand connectivity and communication, greatly assisting in social media business integration. Although social media has potential to drive the world of finance and accounting, firms in the accounting domain have predominantly remained laggards in social media adoption and usage. The usage of social media tools in accounting would be transformative; better leveraging opportunities for interaction and user engagement. This article discusses the background and significance of social media tools, projecting the overall concept of social media and offering some empirical evidence on the adoption and usage by accounting firms. The paper also discusses the potential benefits and approaches towards building a social media presence from an accounting perspective. Common reasons for not adopting social media include the fear of appearing unprofessional, posting something wrong or being misunderstood, or a lack of confidence in online skills. Future research is proposed to assess linkages between usage patterns and organizational characteristics, staff perspectives, and audience engagement

JEL Classification: M30, M31, M37, M38, M39

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