Servant dictators: the paradoxical leadership of social media administrators

Digital leadership on social networking platforms is increasingly significant, shaping information dissemination, decision-making, and user support. The influence of digital leaders profoundly impacts members’ daily experiences, making this an essential field of study. This research investigates digital leadership in social media, focusing on Facebook group administrators (admins) and the hybrid “servant-dictator” leadership profile that combines autocratic control with service-oriented commitment. A qualitative study was conducted with twenty Facebook group admins, selected to represent diverse characteristics such as age, gender, group purpose, privacy level, and group size. Semi-structured in-depth interviews and inductive analysis were employed to uncover leadership dynamics and interpret them within the context of prior research and established leadership theories. The study identifies two contrasting leadership behaviors: autocratic behaviors involving supervision, control, and content regulation, and servant behaviors emphasizing time investment, personal attention, and member protection. A central theme, Perspective Shaping and Intellectual Enrichment, bridges these behaviors, demonstrating how admins combine authority and service to influence group dynamics and member perspectives. The study introduces and conceptualizes the “servant-dictator” paradigm as a distinct form of digital leadership in online communities. It provides a theoretically grounded and empirically supported framework, offering actionable insights for governance, training, and best practices in managing large-scale social media groups.