Knowledge sharing through social media and its impact on student creativity

Social media technologies (SMTs) have transformed communication around the world. However, there has been limited research assessing the use of SMTs for knowledge sharing (KS) and the subsequent impact of such sharing on individual creativity. Moreover, most such research has focused on business organisations. This study, by contrast, explores students' use of SMTs for KS, and its impact on their creativity. To collect data, a questionnaire was sent to 266 selected master level business students at a public sector university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Data from the 203 responses were analysed using multiple linear regression. Findings indicate that the students use SMTs for KS with their peers. The results of hypotheses testing show that attitude, social norms and enjoyment from helping others have a significant influence on students' behavioural intention towards KS. Besides, facilitation conditions (technological resources, skills, and knowledge), ability to share knowledge, perceived reciprocal benefits and behavioural intention to share knowledge significantly impacted KS through SMTs. Surprisingly, teacher support did not influence KS. Students' behavioural intention proved to be the most significant predictor of KS. Overall, the study supported the hypothesis that KS through SMTs impacted on student creativity. This paper offers useful insights to teachers and curriculum designers and suggests appropriate measures for integrating SMTs in ways that promote KS. The study developed an integrated research model that could be used to investigate the phenomenon in a similar setting. Also, the article offers a Pakistani perspective, making it a valuable addition to knowledge management (KM) literature.