Content area
Full Text
1. Introduction
This research paper aims at clarifying social media monitoring from the perspective of international companies. A systematic literature review was used to seek current insights on the methods used, and so illuminate not only the benefits but also the difficulties attached to the monitoring process.
With the development of science and technology, social media have come to exert great impact on commercial value (Adkins and Lury, 2011; Thackeray et al., 2008). With high numbers of users, issues spread fast via social media (Lawrence et al., 2010; Zailskaite-Jakste and Kuvykaite, 2012). This affects international corporations which, in order to maintain profitable relationships, need to identify issues early and monitor and predict their growth (Banerjee and Agarwal, 2012; Coombs and Holladay, 2012). The concept issue refers to how a topic is seen and discussed (Meriläinen and Vos, 2013). Issues are social constructions (Hallahan, 2001) and may be perceived differently by different public groups. Company issues can be very diverse, and include, for example, criticism of the social responsibility of a firm in the public debate. Early prognosis of issue interaction could prevent financial or reputational losses. Therefore, monitoring social media interaction has become vitally important for international companies.
Social media offer an interactive platform for dialogue between users, including individuals and companies. Companies have different objectives for being active in social media, which serves not only early identification of issues but also interaction with stakeholders. In order to attract attention to the brand and accelerate the development of online trade, international companies have adapted social corporate marketing (Illia and John, 2012) and the use of media marketing channels (Dekay, 2012). Their attention has shifted from passive one-way communication on the company's home page to more vivid two-way corporate communication (Booth and Matic, 2011). As global and complex platforms, social media exert a profound impact on international companies with businesses all over the world, as acknowledged in corporate communications. The increasing activity in social media also calls for methods to follow online consumer interaction regarding the brand. Consequently, researchers have shown increasing interest in what is measured and how, when monitoring and tracking interaction in social media.
Monitoring includes listening, interpreting and taking action on what people are saying or otherwise conveying (Rappaport, 2010)....