Utilizing Social Media Platforms to Foster Entrepreneurial Communication among Start-up Communities

Abstract

Social media networks are an essential component for the enhancement of modern business environment. These networks provide entrepreneurs with a platform for their startups' development and scalability. However, little is known about the impact of social media used as a communication tool in identifying scalability among startups. Using dynamic capabilities theory, this study examines how specific characteristics, such as innovation and opportunity creation, affect the scalability of startups. The research aimed at a sample of owners or managers of Chinese startups. Purposive sampling approaches were used to choose participants, and data was gathered via a questionnaire and analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0 for PLS_SEM. The findings indicate that use of social media for customer relations and services is the strongest predictor of innovation, followed by social media marketing—the innovation toward the scalability of startups and the innovation toward opportunity creation. These results have significant practical implications for how social media affects entrepreneurship and may be utilized to improve entrepreneurs' capacity to uncover new possibilities and build relationships with customers, suppliers, workers, and partners.