Exploring social media as tool for stakeholder relationship management

Abstract

The objective of the study is to explore the Gabonese students’ perceptions of social media use by the embassy of Gabon in South Africa as a communication tool for the purpose of building stakeholder relationships. In this age of innovation, invention and technology social media have changed and reinvented individual communication to be quick, easy and authentic. Organisations are now moving to social media for better communication with their stakeholders. While most studies have investigated the influence of social media on organisations with specific goods and services, very few studies have examined the impact of social media on government representation, such as embassies. Gabonese students in South Africa are among the most important stakeholders of the Embassy of Gabon. As stated on the embassy’s website, the Gabonese population in South Africa is mostly composed of students. However, it is not known if the current use of social media by the embassy fulfills the expectations of the student stakeholders. It is important, therefore, to explore social media used by the embassy of Gabon as a tool for student stakeholder relationships. This study follows a qualitative research approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. These took place face-to-face and telephonically depending on the physical availability of the participants. The researcher found that the embassy of Gabon uses its social media only for information purposes. There is no created or maintained relationship with the students by means of its social media. This situation leads students to expect more than information delivery from the embassy. Based on the findings of this study, limitations are discussed along with the recommendations and concluding remarks.