Personal Branding on Social Media

The disintegration of traditional forms of work in society has led to the perceived need for people to actively take charge of their careers. Against this backdrop, this study explores how academics use social media for professional self-presentation and networking. Placing the measures academics take in this respect under the umbrella term ‘personal branding’, the study answers this question and also explores possible predictors of personal branding on social media. The idea of social capital and impression management theory form the theoretical basis of the study and provide a model for the exploration of the determinants of personal branding on social media. The results indicate that personal branding is related to personal, social and environmental factors. However, social media seem to be used for the static presentation of information rather than dynamic interaction.