Intellectual Capital (IC) in Social Media Companies : Its Positive and Negative Outcomes

Social media are becoming a vital element of intense Intellectual Capital (IC) growth. Their ultimate shape is being determined by dynamic technical innovation (involving hybrid products and services), merger and acquisition (M&A) activity among product and service innovators, as well as user behaviorisms (embodying the very social dimension of these media). Despite obvious constraints (novelty, limited research coverage), it is evident that two IC segments have come to the fore of social media expansion: Customer Capital (CC) and Structural Capital (SC). It is premature to produce a comprehensive assessment of social media sustainability and utilitarianism; however, key positives and negatives of online interconnectedness can now be outlined. Their impact analysis and interdependence should be explored in further empirically based research for which this paper might serve as a useful starting point