Revisiting the impacts of social media use on task performance of construction project members: a congruence perspective

Purpose The prevalence of social media (SM) brings much potential to the digital transformation of construction projects. However, little attention has been paid to the hybrid nature of such tools in this specific context, leaving the current literature trapped in an incomplete focus on individual dimensions while ignoring their combined dynamics. Design/methodology/approach This study centers on two typical types of SM use, namely task-oriented SM use (TSMU) and relationship-oriented SM use (RSMU), to explore the impacts of their congruence on the task performance of construction project members. Combining the communication visibility theory and job-demand resource model to frame the proposed model, this study employs polynomial regression and response surface analysis methods for empirical testing. Findings Results show that the congruence between TSMU and RSMU has negative and positive effects on knowledge acquisition and project social capital, respectively, further leading to divergent impacts on task performance through their affirmed mediating roles. Furthermore, at the point of congruence, high-high congruence proves to yield higher knowledge acquisition and project social capital than low-low congruence, yet intriguingly, not optimally beneficial. Originality/value Taking a congruence perspective, this study brings novel and in-depth insights into the hybrid nature of emerging SM in construction projects, not only refining prior literature on separate or general advantages of such tools, but offering more nuanced guidance for fully leveraging their synergistic benefits in practice.