The use and continuance use of social media applications by small and medium enterprises in Kuwait
| Pages | 471-490 |
| Date | 02 September 2019 |
| Published date | 02 September 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-11-2018-0094 |
| Author | Basil Alzougool |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
The use and continuance use of
social media applications by small
and medium enterprises in Kuwait
Basil Alzougool
Department of Business Studies, Arab Open University Kuwait Branch,
Al-Farwaniya, Kuwait
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study isto explore the use and continued intention to use six social media
applications (SMAs) (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Skype and Instagram) by small- and
medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs) in Kuwait.
Design/methodology/approach –A survey of 357 SMEsin Kuwait was conducted to achieve the study
objectives.
Findings –The study resultsshowed that SMEs mostly used applicationwas Facebook (by more than three
quarters of the SMEs), and the least used one was LinkedIn (by around 6 per cent of the SMEs). Also,
approximately thirdof the SMEs used YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. Of those, more than one thirdused
these applications daily. The study also found that both gaining popularity and enjoyment were the main
motivations for using all six applications by SMEs. Moreover, the study found that the applications were
mostly used for information,communication and marketing.
Research limitations/implications –SMEs used and have continued intention to use SMAs for their
enjoymentand usefulness, because other SMEs use them and becauseof their complementarity. In light of the
results, severalrecommendations were suggested to increase theuse and continued intention to use SMAs by
SMEs in Kuwait. For academics,it may give them an idea of the extent to which SMEs use SMAs in doing
work activities,which they can use as a starting point to investigate other factors thatmight influence the use
SMAs by SMEs.
Practical implications –For practitioners especially SMEs owners and managers, it may help to
encourage them to use the SMAs and to raise their awarenessof the benefits of these applications to their
work.
Social implications –The findings generally suggest that SMEs need ongoing support from the
government, industry or any bodies that are interested in the development of SMEs. This support includes
providing a more comprehensive view about SMAs such as raising the awareness of SMEs about the
potential benefits of some of these applications such as YouTube, Skype and LinkedIn and conducting
training courses that help SMEs to set up rules, procedures and strategies on how to use these various
applications.
Originality/value –SMAs have a number of characteristics that make it a suitable option for doing SMEs’
work activities. Therefore, SMAs could provide SMEs with opportunities for interaction and communication with
customers and suppliers. Although the literature describes the different aspects of these applications and their
potential benefits for people in general and industry in particular, little research hasattempted t o explore the actual
use of these applications especially by SMEs in developingcountries in general and in Kuwait in particular.
Keywords Kuwait, Facebook, SMEs, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Use, Twitter,
Social media applications
Paper type Research paper
This study was supported and funded by the research sector, Arab Open University –Kuwait
Branch under grant number 17145.
Small and
medium
enterprises in
Kuwait
471
Received30 November 2018
Revised22 January 2019
Accepted17 February 2019
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.68 No. 6/7, 2019
pp. 471-490
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-11-2018-0094
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9342.htm
Introduction
In the late 1990s, internet became well-known; websites that allowed individuals to create
and upload content began to emerge. By the late 2000s, social media applications (SMAs)
had gained extensive acceptance and some services gained huge numbers of peers. For
example, Archambault and Grudin (2012) conducted a longitudinal study in Microsoft to
investigate how Facebook, LinkedInand Twitter are used and whether they are considered
to be useful for organizationalcommunication and information-gathering. The study found
that between 2008 and 2011, SMAs went from being a niche activity to being very widely
and heavily used. Growthin use and acceptance was not uniform, with differences basedon
gender, age and level. In 2011, 82 per cent reported using Facebook and over half reported
using it daily. Professionals started realizing the value of SMAs for work. In addition,
Turner et al. (2010) interviewed members of a small company about their full range of
communication channels. The study found that use of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
reportedly increased over the year. Leftheriotis and Giannakos (2014) also investigated
whether employees make use of SMAs for work purposes, what valuesincrease this usage
and if that usage is related with theirperformance. Results showed that in the case of SMAs
for work, employeesmake extended use of them no matter their age.
SMAs are defined as “the interaction among people which allows them to share, createand
exchange information in virtual communities with less effort and time”(Cohen, 2011,P1).
SMAs are mainly about participation, sharing, interaction and collaboration using online
technologies (Boyd and Ellison, 2007). However, to engage people in social media activities such
as discussion, sharing and collaboration on an ongoing basis, the content found on SMAs needs
to be refreshed quite frequently (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). SMAs are spreading fast over the
globe, across Middle East too. This research chose Kuwait as a country to examine this
phenomenon although it has not reached its peak in using technology.
SMAs have a number of characteristicsthat make them a suitable option for doing small-
and medium-sized enterprises’(SMEs’) work activities. These characteristicsinclude but are
not limited to Cohen (2011,p.1):
a wide range of content formats (e.g. text, image, video, etc.) and allow combining
more than one content;
allows communication to take place in real time and to cross one or more
applications through social sharing, email and feeds;
involve different levels of interactions by participants who can create and comment
on social media networks; and
offer one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many communications.
Therefore, SMAs could provide SMEs with opportunities for interaction and communication
with customers and suppliers (DiMicco et al., 2009), collection of market research data, promotion
of goods and services, provision of detailed information about products and services, expanding
their business and recruitment of candidates. In addition, SMAs offer organizations enormous
opportunities and benefits to improve their business performance (Leftheriotis and Giannakos,
2014). For example, they are an excellent way for businesses to broaden their exposure to the
public at a much lower cost than traditional marketing, and they may help organizations reach
more customers, understand their needs and wants and build stronger relationships with them
(Wiegand, 2014). The messages posted on SMAs are perceived to be more reliable, credible and
trustworthy than firm-initiated communications(He et al., 2017).
On the other hand, the importance of SMEs has increasingly grown over the years and
they have become the backbone of any country’s economy, especially in developing
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