A study of how social networking sites change interpersonal relationships in business organizations: an example of Facebook

社交網站，尤其是Facebook，在近幾年使用人口日趨增加，變得非常熱門。本研究觀察到在組織內，許多人運用Facebook這類社交網站與同事維繫人際關係。有趣的是，當Facebook進入組織情境後，這種以電腦中介傳播為基礎的人際互動方式，與實體人際關係模式不同，也迥異於全然線上的人際互動模式，其特殊性進一步帶來組織內人際關係的重要改變。 本研究共分三方面來探討Facebook進入組織情境後，對組織內人際關係所造成的改變。首先，受Facebook科技屬性影響，組織成員在Facebook上人際關係樣態根基於「虛實交錯」此一概念。由於同事間相互認識，其人際關係發展歷程從線下的實體互動開始，蔓延到Facebook的線上互動，而眾人在線上互動結果又會再度影響實體關係。換句話說，組織成員在「虛擬」和「實體」不同場域來回擺盪，造成「虛實交錯」情形，也讓組織內人際關係模式產生改變。 在這基礎上，本研究進一步發現Facebook「虛實交錯」的人際關係模式展現在兩個層面上。從整體角度來看，當Facebook出現後，在組織內形成另一個人際關係場域，彷彿是辦公室內的「線上茶水間」，組織成員在該場域互動、維繫人際關係的方式與實體茶水間有所不同，有其獨特性，因此我們用「線上茶水間」來描繪Facebook「虛實交錯」下的人際關係場域特性。在線上茶水間，組織成員以大量且多樣化資訊做為連結人際關係基礎，達到不同於實體茶水間的社交功能，如大量且速成的安慰與支持、跨越時空的陪伴感等，也使得線上茶水間的人際關係具有一定特色，例如淺層情感交流等。從個人層次來探討，組織成員的形象在此人際關係場域內也有不同展現方式，當Facebook出現後，它的科技屬性提供組織成員「另一個舞台」，讓個人得以展現出在正式組織場域中難以呈現的某種形象，因此我們用「另一個舞台」來描繪其轉變與特性。然而Facebook終究位於組織體系內，因此組織成員無法扮演一個全新或不真實形象，在舞台上的「演出」難免受到束縛。儘管如此，組織成員仍可透過Facebook調節自己在實體組織場域予人的形象，展現出欲呈現面貌。This study discusses the impact and influence of Facebook on interpersonal relationships at the work place. Social networking sites (SNS), Facebook in particular, have grown in popularity in recent years. In addition to personal usage, many use Facebook as a tool to interact with their colleagues in corporate settings. When used in this manner, the mode of interaction is based on computer-mediated communication (CMC), which is distinct from physical interactions or from virtual online interactions. This study focuses on three aspects of Facebook that influence and shape the relationships among employees in a corporation. Firstly, the members of a business organization know each other, so the process of interaction begins with physical acquaintance. The interaction then migrates online through Facebook, which, in turn, shapes the nature of the physical interaction. In other words, aided by technology, the corporate personnel interact both in "virtual (online)" space and in "physical" space, resulting in a mode of interaction that can be called "virtually and physically interlaced" interaction. On this basis, this study examines the effects of "virtually and physically interlaced" interaction from two perspectives. First, from the overview perspective, the introduction of Facebook in a corporate setting creates a space for a new form of interaction, an "online break room" of sorts, in which the corporate personnel's interaction is experienced differently than in a physical break room. Employees in "online break rooms" communicate with each other in multiple modes and methods such as videos, music, forwarded articles and so on. Unlike in a physical break room where the conversations are limited in number and also limited by the necessity of shared space and time, the online break room offers unconstrained space where employees can readily exchange their thoughts, opinions, as well as their feelings with others. The experience creates a new social dimension to the "online break room" at hand that employees can be accompanied by colleagues anytime and anywhere and also be able to receive much comfort and support from the coworkers. However, the level of communication remains superficial because employees do not interact in person. Second, from the individual perspective, an employee's experience of interaction with others in an "online break room" is changed. The introduction of Facebook in a corporate setting provides its personnel an alternate platform to express themselves more personally, in ways which may have been difficult to do in a rigid and formal business environment. We use the term "alternative stage" to describe the changes in interactions afforded by the addition of another platform. On the "main stage" of a conventional corporate environment, a person may feel compelled to conform to the corporate culture, and the expression of individuality may be limited, which results in a projected image that tends to be formal. In such an environment, Facebook becomes a stage/place where individuals can express and highlight their own personality or hobbies, giving a more personal and informal image to adjust the physical and conventional formal images