The impact of multidimensional social media use on academicians’ performance in Universiti Teknologi MARA: a mediating role of social capital

The widespread adoption of social media in higher education has reshaped how academicians communicate, collaborate, and perform their professional roles. However, existing studies often treat Social Media Use (SMU) as a unidimensional construct, typically measured by frequency, duration, and intensity, resulting in a limited understanding of how different forms of use influence Academician’s Performance (AP). Addressing this gap, the present study aims to develop and empirically validate a multidimensional model of SMU and examine its effects on AP in Malaysian public higher education institutions, with Social Capital (SC) examined as a mediating mechanism. Guided by Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), Social Capital Theory (SCT), and Information Systems (IS) perspectives, SMU is conceptualised across four dimensions: System Use (SyU), Social Use (SU), Content Use (CU), and Hedonic Use (HU), while AP is treated as a multifaceted construct encompassing teaching, research and publication, supervision, and consultation. Data were collected through an online survey of 206 academicians from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) using a stratified sampling method. The measurement and structural models were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings confirm the reliability and validity of the proposed constructs. SyU, SU, and CU were reported to have significant positive effects on AP, whereas HU exhibited a significant negative effect. SC significantly predicted AP and partially mediated the relationship between SU and performance. The results highlight social and content-oriented uses of social media as the most influential dimensions in enhancing AP. This study contributes theoretically by advancing a multidimensional understanding of SMU and empirically confirming the mediating role of SC in academic contexts. Methodologically, it refines measurement by modelling SC and AP as Higher-Order Constructs (HOCs). In practice, the findings inform institutional strategies to promote purposeful, performance-oriented social media engagement among academicians. Conversely, limitations related to the cross-sectional design and single-institution focus suggest avenues for future longitudinal and multi-institutional research.