Communication of social and task messages on instant messaging platforms: a netnographic study of farmers’ whatsapp groups in Kenya

Abstract

Instant messaging platforms have become one of the most popular channels of communication globally. Communication of social and task messages on these platforms has attracted the interest of scholars but recent literature provides conflicting and inconclusive results about the interaction of those messages on online groups. This study aims at understanding the communication of task and social messages in farmers’ WhatsApp groups in Kenya. It specifically aims at finding answers to two research questions: How do members of a task-oriented WhatsApp group respond to task messages on their forums? How do members of a task-oriented WhatsApp group respond to social messages on their forums? A netnographic research method was employed and purposive sampling procedure used to pick study participants. Participant observation of five farmers’ WhatsApp groups was the main data generation technique of the study. Thematic analysis was used to make sense of the data. The results of the study show that communication of task and social messages takes place under a set of communication rules, stipulating that group conversation should be centred on task-oriented messages only. However, in spite of the clearly stated rules and regulations in favour of task-oriented messages, group members still posted social messages. The conclusion is that there is an inextricable connection between task and social messages. While it is important for communicators in work environment to focus on task-oriented communication, it is equally important to give space for social communication as the bonhomie created by such communication acts as a cog in the wheel towards accomplishment of task. The study contributes to literature on social media communication in organisational settings, specifically with regard to WhatsApp group platforms, which have become ubiquitous in both formal and informal settings. It also contributes methodologically to the advancement of netnography in the study of communication on WhatsApp groups. There is need for communication managers of WhatsApp groups to abandon the single-minded, task-oriented rule they root for, since there are other competing relational needs to be met through the communication of social messages.