Social Media Adoption and Entrepreneurial Outcomes among Women Entrepreneurs in Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Despite a greater research focus on exploring the role of social media in businesses, less has been researched on the impact of social media adoption among women entrepreneurs. To address the research gap, a study on social media adoption and entrepreneurial outcomes in the context of women in Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan has been conducted by extending the Technology Adoption Model (TAM).  The data have been collected from the 191 women entrepreneurs through online survey questions by applying convenience sampling. Data were analysed using SPSS 26, employing descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, multiple regression, and mediation analysis via the PROCESS Macro (Model 4). The results of the study reveal that perceived usefulness significantly and positively affects empowerment and visibility, as well as marketing and customer engagement, while perceived ease of use positively influences empowerment and visibility, networking, and learning. Furthermore, marketing and customer engagement, networking and learning significantly enhance intention to use social media, whereas empowerment and visibility showed an insignificant direct effect on intention to use. Mediation analysis indicates that empowerment and visibility partially mediate the relationship between perceived usefulness and intention to use social media. Similarly, networking and learning partially mediate the relationship between perceived ease of use and intention to use social media, while marketing and customer engagement fully mediate the relationship between perceived usefulness and intention to use social media. This investigation concluded that marketing and customer engagement provide better business value, and they motivate women entrepreneurs to use social media for business success. The outcomes of the study support the extension of TAM from the perspective of women entrepreneurs and also offer insights for stakeholders and policymakers for designing effective training interventions to foster digital entrepreneurship in Pakistan.

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