Online Tie Formation in Enterprise Social Media

We study the antecedents to tie formation on an (Facebook-like) enterprise social media platform implemented to support cross-boundary connections. Research has produced mixed findings regarding the role of social media in cultivating bridging vs. closed networks. We examine the tie formation patterns of 1,386 enterprise social media users over a two-year period. Specifically, we observe who became (or chose not s become) “friends” with whom at the dyadic level and relate the decisions to various mechanisms that affect one’s network to expand, constrain, or bridge. Using logistic and OLS regressions, we find that users tend to form ties via reciprocity and transitivity (with friends of friends), both of which help expand one’s network. We also find strong networking tendency toward functional and hierarchical homophily (same business unit and same rank, respectively), which is likely to constrain one’s network (closed network structure). We find that one’s participation in various online interest groups is likely to open one’s network (bridging network structure) while no evidence found for preferential attachment. Overall, we find that enterprise social media offers features, some of which are likely to foster bridging while others foster closed networks via different mechanisms.