Facebook Use and Job Performance: The Mediating Effects of Social Capital, Knowledge Sharing, and Job Satisfaction

Social networking sites (SNSs) are extensively used worldwide, and the number of workers who use them in their workplaces is increasing. This study empirically examined whether social capital, knowledge sharing, and job satisfaction can mediate the effects of Facebook use on job performance. The results demonstrated that Facebook use positively affected both bonding and bridging social capital. In addition, both types of social capital have positive effects on online and offline knowledge sharing. While offline knowledge sharing and job satisfaction positively affected perceived job performance, online knowledge sharing negatively affected perceived job performance. On the other hand, offline and online knowledge sharing did not have a statistically significant effect on supervisor-rated job performance. Only job satisfaction had a positive effect. This study’s findings provide practical implications for financial companies that are considering policies related to the use of SNSs and want to enhance their employees’ job performance.