Social networks and the desire to save face: A case from Singapore

• Main Authors: NETZLEY, Michael A., RATH, Akanksha
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2011
• Subjects: social networking; Singapore; psychological safety; social media; Business and Corporate Communications
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/3129; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/4128/viewcontent/Social_Networks_and_the_Desire_to_Save_Face.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

For five years, corporate communication undergraduates have maintained a wiki as a final course and community service project. Using Web 2.0 platforms to crowdsource and curate content, they learn to employ online communications for work purposes. When the course was launched in 2007, the dominant social media narrative invited educators to embrace a technological optimism with sub-themes of open communication, sharing, and co-creation. By 2011, student feedback had compelled the instructor to consider the limits of technological optimism and revise the course. Specifically, Singaporean students have displayed a need to save face online, which has led to a localized teaching approach.