Why people use social media platforms: Exploring the motivations and consequences of use

Abstract

This paper proposes a value based view to analyze the motivation to use social media platforms. A research model exploring the motivations and consequences of the use of social media platforms is developed. The model includes the perceptions of the social capital and the social rewards as consequences of the use of social media platforms. Understanding the use motivations becomes increasingly important when more and more businesses and not-for-profit organizations start using these platforms as part of their daily business processes.