Uses of social software in personal and organizational settings

Grass-roots social software, such as instant messaging and blogs, has increased its popularity dramatically and invaded the lives of millions of Internet users. Not only used for personal purposes, individuals also use such technologies for organizational-related communication. Some of these employees use the social software provided by their organizations, while some of them install their favorite applications in their office machines for communication. Not all organizations are willing to adopt such newly emergent technologies, as a result, different attitudes toward the use of social software in the workplace are identified. Individuals' use of social software is not only influenced by the software per se; organizational policies and established norms also play significant roles in influencing the behavior. A research framework addressing the reasons and processes of social software uses is then developed. Future research for this social phenomenon is also proposed.