Nonprofit Organizations' Dialogic Use of Social Media: Principles and Practice

Previous studies of social media use by nonprofit organizations suggest that social media's dialogic potential has not yet been fully realized in this sector. Yet this body of research draws its inferences predominantly from social media trace data; the field is missing more explanatory evidence from the accounts of those nonprofit professionals who manage and coordinate social media for their organizations: What are the motivations and strategies of nonprofit professionals who manage and coordinate social media (social media point persons)? How are these strategies shaped (or not) by the dialogic capabilities of social media? To answer these questions, we conducted semistructured interviews with 19 social media point persons. Through grounded theory analysis of these interviews, we find - in contrast to previous research - that social media practices are approached strategically and are underpinned by the five principles of dialogic communication proposed by Kent and Taylor: mutuality, commitment, propinquity, empathy and risk. We also find that nonprofit professionals intend to be reactive moderators in dialogue, with the goal of catalyzing a community of civic discourse.