Facilitators, characteristics, and impacts of Twitter use: Theoretical analysis and empirical illustration

• A multi-component, multi-view framework of Twitter use is proposed.
• 65 criteria (28 facilitators, 20 use characteristics, and 17 impacts) are examined.
• Individual, business, and government perceptions and Tweeters accounts are analyzed.
• The approach is useful for practice and for accumulating knowledge on Twitter use.

Given its widespread utilization, Twitter has become a key issue for many scholars, public decision makers, and global business managers. Despite this broad interest, there is insufficient research on the different aspects of Twitter use in multigroup settings. Such oversight limits our understanding of the range of elements that can explain Twitter use. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a framework that divides Twitter use into three major components: facilitators, characteristics, and impacts. Secondary data from 41 Twitter accounts and primary data from 20 interviewees, as well as survey responses from 58 individual, business, and government participants, were used to analyze the framework. The study identified and analyzed 65 indicators of Twitter: 28 facilitators, 20 use characteristics, and 17 impact areas. The findings offer insights for decision makers and scholars interested in understanding Twitter use in a multigroup setting. The proposed framework can provide theoretical justifications for and predictions of relevant Twitter issues. Further, it can help policy makers and business managers assess whether certain aspects of Twitter in a given setting need more attention.