USES OF FACEBOOK IN MANIFESTATIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL SYMBOLISMS

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the relation between the uses of Facebook by members of the online newspaper XYZ and the manifestations of organizational symbolisms. In order to contextualize the approach adopted to deal with the objective, theoretical contributions on symbolic interactionism, interpretivism and organizational symbolism were articulated. Such contributions are the basis to the discussion according to which social interaction, communication and the uses of Facebook are related to each other in the organizational routine. From this relationship in daily life, different social groups elaborate symbolic constructions with the potential to mark the organizational context. We start from the understanding that this occurs to the extent that the built symbolisms interfere in the articulations between the social groups in the organizations. The qualitative method guided the empirical approach in this study. Data collection was performed by literature and desk research, netnography and semi-structured interviews. The data were treated by content analysis, in the thematic mode. After analysis, it was observed that Facebook is a channel of symbolic exchanges between individuals in the organization, however, in that media, these exchanges are veiled. It became evident the existence of a shared understanding that, on Facebook, there is a lot of exposure which is why people are afraid to post personal information or information about their jobs, because they believe they are being watched. In this context, other digital social networks have also been identified as means for exchanging symbolic content.