The micro foundations of social media use: Artificial intelligence integrated routine model

Increasingly, firms’ social media (SM) use is on the rise; therefore, effective communication on SM remains a challenge for firms in the digital era. This study explores firms’ different SM engagements with respect to artificial intelligence (AI) and proposes an empirically validated model. A qualitative research design was adopted in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with the chief executive, director, chief entrepreneur, and/or associated top management of firms that use AI. Based on an analysis of these interviews, the study proposes the “microfoundation of social media routine framework” that consists of three processes and four stages. This routine integrates AI manage the engagement of users on firms’ SM. This routine provides the opportunity to establish strong relationships with customers. At the end of the study, we discuss the contributions and implications of the routine and conclude with future research directions.