Integration of enterprise social media into corporate South Africa: An investigation into data protection

The growing of new technologies and the increased adoption of social media by firms and individuals have increasingly become a common feature in the corporate world. Some firms have used this as an advantage and have in turn used this as part of the promotional tool to make their products and services known, grow their businesses, win customers over and at the same time, make profits.  Faced with growing business competition, some companies have now resorted to the use of social media, as an important tool of trade when it comes to improving business operations as well as in gaining and maintaining market share. If not handled well, however, social media can turn in to a nightmare, as it may result in the circulation of viral messages which may in turn tarnish the image of the company. This calls for the need for government to ensure that data protection measures are in place in order to ensure that toxic information does not go out in to the public domain. Through an archival method of data protection, this article investigates data protection in South Africa’s social media enterprise. The article reveals that, social media does play an important role in improving the operations of most companies, and hence, the need for stern data protection measures to control the kind of information that goes to the public.