Abstract:
There is a notion that getting to adopt a new idea no matter the obvious
advantages is often difficult and this has played out sometimes in the
Nigerian corporate landscape, apparently owing to the dominant
orientation of public institutions and the lack of basic and relevant
infrastructure. This has contributed to the slow pace of development in
the country. With the pervasive influence of social media globally, it
became necessary to interrogate the relevance, role and effectiveness of
social media platforms in the promotion of corporate communication,
identity and status in Nigeria. This was contemplated because of the
critical role communication plays in the life of organizations and
society. The work was anchored on two related theories: the Technology
Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Media Dependency Theory (MDT).
An in-depth interview approach was adopted for data gathering. The
targets were key experts with hands-on experience in the corporate
communications arena, including public affairs managers, journalism
practitioners, ICT experts and business development consultants. The
tool employed was an open-ended questionnaire with follow-up
telephone interviews. Findings point to the absolute necessity of social media and its various platforms in promoting corporate
communication and building the identity and image of organizations in
Nigeria, using the right strategies. Despite its shortcomings, which
include believability challenges, there was a consensus on the need for
organizations to embrace the social media regime if they have to remain
relevant and meet their objectives.
