The use of social media in the workplace has grown dramatically as people have become more - and more constantly - connected via mobile devices. Merriam-Webster offers a fairly common definition of social media: "forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content."
Some of that sounds great for business, right? After all, creating online communities and sharing information and ideas are basic goals of any business's marketing department. Frequently, however, organizations approach social media with suspicion and trepidation. These attitudes often lead to attempts to fully control its use that end up with managers frustrated by a lack of discipline, employees feeling that they're being treated like children, and everyone demoralized.