Impact of social media adoption on stakeholder engagement and trust

In an era defined by digital transparency and stakeholder scrutiny, the legitimacy of organizational communication hinges not merely on visibility but on the strategic alignment of digital engagement practices with institutional values and societal expectations. It’s no longer enough for companies to focus solely on financial performance; stakeholders now expect businesses to act ethically, transparently and in line with societal values (Pallas et al., 2016). Social media has changed the way organizations communicate. It offers a powerful way to connect with audiences, share real-time updates and even co-create value with customers and communities (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010; Hanna et al., 2011). When used thoughtfully and in alignment with institutional logics, these social media platforms help companies build credibility, demonstrate accountability and stay relevant in an increasingly values-driven market (Rashidi-Sabet and Bolton, 2024).

Despite the ubiquity of social media adoption, a significant tension persists between achieving market competitiveness and sustaining institutional legitimacy (Friedland and Arjaliès, 2021; Shahbazi and Bunker, 2024). Missteps in data handling, superficial corporate social responsibility (CSR) messaging or lack of responsiveness can quickly erode public trust, often with viral amplification. Thus, trust in digital spaces is increasingly predicated on consistent transparency, stakeholder co-creation and ethical governance practices.

Institutional logic is the set of material practices and symbolic systems, including assumptions, values and beliefs, by which individuals and organizations provide meaning to their daily activity, organize time and space and reproduce their lives and experiences (Thornton et al., 2012; Thornton and Ocasio, 1999). According to neo-institutional theory, these logics profoundly shape organizational legitimacy and are central to maintaining the social license to operate. When an organization’s digital communications, especially on social media, reflect prevailing societal norms and expectations, stakeholders are more likely to view that organization as legitimate, responsible and trustworthy.

However, despite widespread social media integration, gaps remain in understanding how businesses balance market-driven objectives with legitimacy-based imperatives, especially when digital trust and governance are under constant scrutiny (Friedland and Arjaliès, 2021).

Social media has redefined stakeholder engagement by enabling real-time communication, interactive discourse and participatory governance (Gupta and Bansal, 2024; Hanna et al., 2011; Heavey et al., 2020). Traditional stakeholder communication models were primarily one-directional, with organizations disseminating information without immediate stakeholder feedback (Greenwood et al., 2011). However, social media has reversed this paradigm by creating an open space where stakeholders, including customers, employees, investors and regulatory bodies, actively shape corporate narratives, scrutinize decisions and demand accountability (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010; Henisz et al., 2014). The development of stakeholder trust through social media is contingent upon three primary elements, competence, integrity and benevolence (Mayer et al., 1995). Organizations that effectively integrate transparency, communication effectiveness and customer feedback mechanisms into their digital engagement strategy are more likely to build credibility and maintain long-term stakeholder relationships (Maxwell and Carboni, 2016; Khanal et al., 2021).

Organizations seldom operate under a single logic instead, they often navigate multiple and sometimes competing logics to maintain legitimacy (e.g., market vs professional, public vs private). Alignment occurs when organizational actions resonate with the dominant logic(s), misalignment may result in conflict (Friedland and Alford, 1991). For instance, organizations governed by a market logic prioritize shareholder value and competitive advantage, leading them to use social media predominantly for brand promotion and consumer engagement. Conversely, organizations guided by a community logic emphasize relational engagement and social responsibility, using social media as a platform for dialogue, advocacy and CSR initiatives (Fernández et al., 2022). The adoption of social media for stakeholder engagement is influenced by these institutional logics, which dictate the extent, tone and nature of digital interactions.

This plurality creates challenges for social media strategies, which must simultaneously address diverse and potentially contradictory demands, such as balancing profit-driven economic logics with social responsibility or reconciling regulatory compliance with cultural sensitivities (Mair et al., 2015). Organizations manage these tensions through adaptive approaches like selective coupling, differentiating messaging across platforms or audiences, hybrid communications that integrate multiple logics in balanced narratives and transparent dialogic engagement that involves stakeholders in co-creating meaning (Pache and Santos, 2013). Such nuanced navigation enhances legitimacy, trust and stakeholder engagement by acknowledging the complexity of institutional environments rather than oversimplifying alignment as a singular process (Schildt and Kodeih, 2025). Thereby strengthening the organization’s capacity to foster meaningful, sustainable relationships across diverse constituencies (Reay and Hinings, 2009; Pache and Santos, 2013).

For example, a healthcare company often operates within multiple, simultaneous institutional logics that shape its organizational priorities and communication strategies (Walsh et al., 2021). The economic logic emphasizes efficiency, profitability and competitive positioning in the market, driving decisions aimed at financial sustainability. In contrast, the social logic prioritizes social responsibility, patient care and the promotion of community welfare, calling for ethically grounded and compassionate practices. Concurrently, the regulatory logic mandates strict compliance with legal and ethical standards, ensuring accountability and risk management. Additionally, the cultural logic encompasses the diverse norms, values and traditions of local and global communities that the organization serves, requiring sensitivity and adaptation to varying stakeholder expectations. These institutional logics frequently diverge and may conflict, generating tensions that complicate decision-making processes and challenge the coherence of organizational communication, particularly in managing stakeholder relations and maintaining legitimacy across diverse constituencies. Thus, institutional logics play a critical role in determining how social media engagement influences stakeholder trust.

Highly regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals or banking, must navigate strict compliance standards and institutionalized risk aversion, which may limit their ability to engage freely on social media. In contrast, organizations in the non-profit sector often leverage social media for grassroots mobilization, participatory decision-making and stakeholder activism (Lovejoy and Saxton, 2012). Existing literature on stakeholder trust largely focuses on transparency, communication and engagement, but there is limited research on how institutional logics mediate this relationship. Understanding this alignment is crucial for designing effective digital engagement strategies.

Institutional theory tends to portray organizations as passive entities conforming to external institutional pressures for legitimacy, offering limited insight into how organizations actively adapt to changing environments. It does not adequately address the processes through which organizations modify or transform institutional practices to survive or compete effectively (Durand and Thornton, 2018).

To address this gap, I have introduced the DEST framework, which is built upon six key dimensions of social media engagement, transparency, communication effectiveness, customer feedback integration, brand visibility, knowledge sharing and privacy and security aligned with institutional logics that guide organizational legitimacy. DEST framework aligns social media engagement strategies with institutional logics to cultivate enduring stakeholder trust, ethical credibility and organizational resilience.

Transparency, which ensures that organizations provide open and honest communication regarding their policies, strategies and decisions, is fundamental for credibility and stakeholder confidence (Urse and Tasențe, 2022). Communication effectiveness reflects the organization’s ability to engage stakeholders through clear, consistent and interactive messaging, fostering a dynamic exchange of information (Men, 2015). Customer feedback integration determines the extent to which organizations incorporate stakeholder opinions, concerns and suggestions into their decision-making processes, thereby enhancing responsiveness and stakeholder satisfaction (Carlson et al., 2018; Pallas et al., 2016).

Brand visibility signifies the reach and recognition of an organization’s digital messaging across social platforms, reinforcing its market presence and stakeholder awareness (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Knowledge sharing facilitates industry insights, thought leadership and stakeholder education through social media engagement, positioning organizations as authoritative and trustworthy sources within their respective domains. Privacy and security mechanisms are essential to protect stakeholder data and ensure ethical digital engagement, addressing concerns regarding information integrity and regulatory compliance. Collectively, these dimensions of social media engagement form a comprehensive approach to leveraging social media for stakeholder trust, ensuring that digital engagement strategies align with institutional expectations and foster long-term credibility (Castelló et al., 2016; Henisz et al., 2014).

1. How does social media adoption influence stakeholder trust in organizations?

2. What role does stakeholder engagement play in mediating the relationship between social media adoption and stakeholder trust?

3. How do organizational social media practices align with institutional logics to affect stakeholder trust and engagement?

4. In what ways does the DEST Framework facilitate the understanding of social media’s impact on stakeholder relationships?

5. How does HCL Technologies exemplify the integration of social media strategies with institutional logics to enhance stakeholder trust and engagement?

1. To explore the role of social media in fostering stakeholder trust and engagement.

2. To examine how social media practices align with institutional logics in organizations.

3. To investigate the mediating effect of stakeholder engagement on the relationship between social media adoption and stakeholder trust.

4. To develop and validate the DEST Framework as a tool for understanding social media’s impact on stakeholder relationships.

5. To analyse HCL Technologies social media strategies as a case study for adopting and aligning institutional logics with market and stakeholder expectations.

Institutional logics influence how organizations perceive legitimacy (Friedland and Arjaliès, 2021). The literature on voluntary disclosure highlights that corporations strategically disclose information rather than doing so purely out of responsibility. Patten (1992) emphasized that failure to align corporate and societal values can lead to legitimacy loss. Examples such as Patagonia’s environmental campaigns demonstrate how companies use social media to promote CSR initiatives and engage stakeholders (Deegan, 2002; Clarkson et al., 2011).

Digital governance is no longer just about protecting brand reputation but about enabling stakeholder co-governance, where stakeholders have a voice and influence in shaping digital policies, content strategies and engagement norms (Freberg, 2020). Moreover, governance structures that prioritize stakeholder participation contribute to procedural legitimacy, where trust emerges not just from outcomes but from how decisions are made and communicated (Castelló et al., 2016).

Transparency occupies a central role in building and maintaining stakeholder trust, and its importance has grown significantly in the age of digital communication. Far exceeding the mere disclosure of information, transparency today is best understood as a strategic and relational process wherein organizations continuously align their actions, communications and values to the expectations of both internal and external stakeholders (Gupta and Bansal, 2024; Khanal et al., 2021).

Beyond simply publishing facts, true transparency requires sharing information that is accurate, relevant and timely. Organizations must offer stakeholders the ability to scrutinize and validate business practices, especially in areas such as financial performance, CSR initiatives and operational challenges (Aguinis and Glavas, 2012). This moves transparency from a compliance exercise to a proactive engagement strategy that fosters credibility. Social media has redefined transparency by enabling organizations to communicate instantly and interactively. Companies now share ongoing updates about their activities, such as sustainability efforts, community engagement and crisis management, through platforms like LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Instagram. This immediate access lets stakeholders form their own judgments and reduces dependence on intermediaries.

Transparent organizations shift the traditional power dynamic by empowering stakeholders with more information and direct communication channels. It is essential to distinguish between deep transparency, which includes disclosing trade-offs, failures and ethical dilemmas and selective transparency that spotlights only successes. While the former can deepen trust through perceived vulnerability and authenticity, the latter risks being perceived as mere reputation management, especially if it becomes disconnected from actual corporate behaviour (Gupta and Bansal, 2024).

Drawing on legitimacy theory, organizational transparency is a way to signal alignment with prevailing societal norms, ethical standards and regulatory expectations. This alignment is not static; it involves a continuous negotiation between disclosed information and the evolving values of key stakeholders. Social media amplifies this negotiation, making both compliance and inconsistencies quickly visible to a global audience.

When organizations are transparent about both achievements and shortcomings, they reinforce their legitimacy and are better able to maintain their social license to operate. A superficial or inconsistent transparency where public messages lack corroboration in actual practices can erode trust and heighten stakeholder skepticism (Ramaswamy, 2009).

Communication effectiveness on social media is a multifaceted concept that underpins an organization’s capacity to engage, inform and build trust with diverse stakeholders. In the digital era, communication effectiveness is no longer measured solely by message dissemination, but by the quality, relevance and reciprocity of organizational dialogue with its audiences (Men, 2015; Eriksson, 2018). Highly effective social media communication begins with a nuanced understanding of the target audience. Organizations must tailor their messages, whether informational, persuasive or relational, to address stakeholder’s interests, values and informational needs (Dowling and Pfeffer, 1975; Caprino and Bracale, 2023). Content relevance maximizes engagement, as personalized updates, thematic campaigns and issue-oriented posts increase the likelihood of meaningful interaction and knowledge retention. Strategic selection of social media platforms, e.g. LinkedIn for professional networking, Instagram for visual storytelling, X for real-time updates, enables organizations to reach different audiences with the most suitable content types. The use of varied content formats, including videos, infographics, blogs and live streams, enhances the message.

Customer feedback integration is a strategic process by which organizations collect, analyse and act upon insights provided by stakeholders through digital platforms, particularly social media (Smith, 2024). This approach enables organizations to align their products, services and overall strategies with evolving stakeholder needs and expectations, enhancing both responsiveness and trust. Social media channels provide unique opportunities for real-time feedback collection and engagement (Bergstrand and Finlaw, 2011). By monitoring comments, direct messages, surveys and user-generated content, organizations gain access to unfiltered stakeholder perspectives. Platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram facilitate instantaneous dialogues, empowering customers to share their experiences, concerns and suggestions directly and publicly (Patti et al., 2020; Uhodnikova et al., 2024).

Companies should address stakeholder concerns swiftly, offering immediate support or corrective actions (Arman, 2014). Real-time engagement not only solves issues more efficiently but also demonstrates a commitment to stakeholder satisfaction. Advanced analytical tools allow organizations to monitor sentiment, identify trends and categorize feedback by urgency or relevance. These insights inform product development, marketing strategies and operational improvements.

Setting clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) enables systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of feedback integration. Regular tracking and reporting of progress against these goals help organizations refine their strategies and maintain a result oriented mindset. While rapid responses are essential, organizations must also ensure the reliability and accuracy of the information they act upon. Open channels for feedback signal that the organization values stakeholder input, cultivating higher engagement and loyalty (Al-Dmour et al., 2023). Ongoing feedback collection allows businesses to adapt quickly to market demands and address weaknesses before they escalate. Transparent and meaningful integration of feedback reinforces the organization’s credibility, showing stakeholders that their voices influence real change (Patti et al., 2020; Gemser et al., 2025).

Brand visibility, strategically managed through social media, is more than just a marketing goal; it is an enabler of trust, stakeholder engagement and sustained organizational legitimacy. Effective visibility emerges not from the sheer volume of content, but through consistent, relevant and meaningful communication that resonates with stakeholders and strengthens the organization’s standing (Chitra and Gokilavani, 2020; Drummond et al., 2020). Brand visibility is a crucial dimension of organizational strategy, encapsulating how well a brand is recognized, remembered and perceived by its stakeholders across various touchpoints. In a digital era dominated by social media, brand visibility extends far beyond traditional advertising; it now encompasses a dynamic interplay of content strategy, engagement and consistency across digital platforms (Drummond et al., 2020; Dubbelink et al., 2021). Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook serve as powerful channels for elevating brand visibility. By leveraging different platforms tailored to specific demographics and professional groups, organizations can amplify their voice and ensure maximum outreach (Maxwell and Carboni, 2016).

Maintaining a unified brand voice, visual identity and messaging across social channels reinforces what the organization stands for and builds stronger recall and recognition among stakeholders. Instant sharing of news, campaigns, successes and even challenges humanize the brand and fosters ongoing awareness. Brands that integrate storytelling with photos, videos, infographics and live sessions create immersive experiences. For example, Patagonia’s Instagram campaigns vividly showcase sustainability, resonating with environmentally conscious followers. Content that mirrors the interests, values and aspirations of target audiences enhances both engagement and visibility.

Knowledge sharing represents a vital organizational process where individuals and teams exchange information, insights and expertise to achieve collective goals. In the context of social media and digital platforms, knowledge sharing transcends traditional barriers, spurring innovation, accelerating problem-solving and reinforcing organizational learning cultures (Zhao et al., 2020). Enterprise social media platforms, for example Yammer, Slack, Workplace from Meta, foster an environment where hierarchical structures are softened, enabling open conversation, cross-functional teamwork and virtual communities of practice. Employees can effortlessly share case studies, project insights and best practices, ensuring that organizational knowledge does not remain siloed but is accessible across departments and geographic regions (Ghalavand et al., 2022).

Interactive features such as discussion forums, instant messaging and collaborative documents promote real-time engagement and feedback. Live streaming, wikis and digital polls further enrich the flow of information, facilitating continuous learning and responsive adaptation to emerging challenges and opportunities (Wang and Xie, 2023; Zhao et al., 2020). By breaking down traditional walls between teams, social media enables members to jointly solve problems, brainstorm and develop creative solutions (Sutherland, 2024).

The ubiquity of social media platforms exposes enterprises to complex challenges: they must protect user data, comply with global regulations and maintain stakeholder confidence amidst rising cyber threats and data misuse. Stakeholders expect not only engaging content but also assurance that their interactions and information remain secure and respectfully managed (Laasch and Conaway, 2015). Adhering to frameworks such as ISO 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework ensures organizations follow best practices for information security management.

Social media platforms collect vast amounts of personal and behavioural data, including user preferences, demographics, interaction histories and sometimes even sensitive identifiers. While this information drives personalization and effective engagement, it also introduces risks of unauthorized use, data breaches and regulatory non-compliance (Moallem, 2024). Protecting data in transit and at rest is essential. Encryption, access controls and secure authentication protocols reduce vulnerability to breaches. Communicating what data is collected, how it is stored, used and shared builds stakeholder confidence. Stakeholders must be informed about their rights and how to exercise them. Implementing mechanisms to capture and manage user consent reinforces ethical data practices and compliance with regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Alignment with institutional logics refers to the deliberate structuring of an organization’s practices, communication and identity in ways that resonate with prevailing societal norms, values and belief systems. Institutional logics comprise the practices, assumptions, values, beliefs and rules that guide meaningful organizational action within a field (Thornton et al., 2012; Friedland and Alford, 1991). These logics emerge from shared practices across organizations and individuals and frame what stakeholders consider appropriate, ethical and legitimate, effectively shaping the criteria by which organizations are judged. In this context, alignment is not merely about compliance with industry standards or regulatory frameworks. It involves proactively embedding normative expectations such as sustainability, transparency, equity or innovation into both strategic intentions and day-to-day activities (Friedland and Arjaliès, 2021).

The alignment process, however, is complex and often situated amidst multiple, sometimes conflicting logics. For example, a tech company may be simultaneously subjected to market logics that prioritize efficiency and innovation, professional logics that emphasize responsibility and technical excellence and community logics that demand inclusivity and ethical conduct. Strategically navigating these tensions involves selective coupling, adopting and integrating aspects of different logics into coherent organizational narratives and operations. The use of social media is a powerful mechanism for expressing this synthesis, as it enables the curation of a public-facing identity that captures multiple stakeholder values simultaneously. Institutional logics are formed and reproduced through the commonalities in practices across different actors, both individuals and organizations.

Institutional logics operate through three foundational pillars:

1. Regulative Pillar: Formal rules, laws and sanctions that mandate behaviours.

2. Normative Pillar: Shared values and socially expected norms prescribing conduct.

3. Cultural-Cognitive Pillar: Deep-rooted beliefs, shared understandings and mental models about how things are done.

Alignment across these pillars strengthens organizational legitimacy and shapes robust, consistent action. Alignment with institutional logics can manifest at several levels:

1. Actor (Individual) Level: Employees and leader’s behaviours and decisions, respect and enact the relevant logics.

2. Organizational Level: Organizational structures and policies systematically reflect prevailing logics.

3. System (Field or Network) Level: Relations between the organization and stakeholders reinforce shared logics.

Stakeholder engagement is the ongoing process by which organizations establish, nurture and sustain meaningful interactions with all groups or individuals who are affected by or can affect the organization’s operations (Chirumalla et al., 2018). In contemporary practice, this extends far beyond traditional, one-way communication to encompass participation, transparency, co-creation and mutual influence. Social media has emerged as a transformative tool for facilitating robust stakeholder engagement with real-time interaction and global reach (Henisz et al., 2014; Lovejoy et al., 2012). At its core, stakeholder engagement is about balancing the needs and expectations of a diverse array of stakeholders: employees, customers, investors, suppliers, regulators and communities. Effective engagement ensures that these voices are heard and integrated into organizational decision-making, fostering a sense of inclusion, ownership and trust (Sun et al., 2024).

Stakeholder trust is a fundamental component of organizational success, especially within contemporary business landscapes characterized by heightened transparency, digital engagement and diverse stakeholder expectations (Shahbazi and Bunker, 2024; Rashidi-Sabet and Bolton, 2024). Trust represents a stakeholder’s belief that an organization is reliable, ethical and acts in alignment with their interests and broader societal values. It is not passively given, but actively cultivated through consistent, transparent and responsive organizational behaviour. Stakeholders are more likely to trust organizations that deliver on their promises, uphold commitments and exhibit consistent behaviour over time (Schoorman et al., 2007). Organizations that demonstrate a genuine commitment to ethical values, CSR and the well-being of society are viewed more favourably by stakeholders (Khanal et al., 2021). Initiatives aligned with environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards underpin perceptions of integrity and foster trust.

Table 1 presents the key dimensions of social media engagement in the DEST Framework mapping each dimension to alignment with institutional logics, stakeholder engagement strategies and trust outcomes.

The DEST framework offers a comprehensive model for understanding how organizations can cultivate stakeholder trust through strategic social media engagement aligned with institutional logics. Rooted in neo-institutional theory, it explains how organizations conform to the norms, rules and expectations of the social and institutional environments in which they operate. It emphasizes that organizations seek legitimacy and survival not only through efficiency and effectiveness but also by aligning their structures, practices and behaviours with societal norms, cultural beliefs and regulatory requirements. This framework posits that stakeholder trust in the digital era arises from the congruence between organizational communication behaviours through social media and prevailing societal norms, regulatory mandates and cultural values. Institutional logics serve as the legitimating foundation that enables social media interactions to transcend from mere visibility to generating enduring trust and organizational legitimacy.

Additionally, the DEST framework incorporates distinct strategic layers discursive, episodic, systemic and temporal, that guide organizations in cultivating sustained, authentic and adaptive trust-building, thereby offering a more dynamic and comprehensive roadmap than existing models. This positions the DEST framework as a pioneering framework that bridges theory and practice for enhanced stakeholder engagement and trust through socially responsible digital governance.

The DEST framework identifies six key dimensions that constitute effective, trust-building digital engagement:

1. Transparency: Transparency is conceptualized beyond simple disclosure; it is a strategic, relational and interactive process through which organizations continuously align their communications with stakeholder expectations. This dimension plays a vital role in sustaining procedural and normative legitimacy by fostering open and honest dialogue about organizational policies, decisions and performance.

2. Communication Effectiveness: This dimension underscores the importance of clarity, consistency, interactivity and responsiveness in digital messaging. Aligned with market and professional institutional logics, effective communication enhances credibility and enables inclusive, dialogic engagement with diverse stakeholder groups.

3. Customer Feedback Integration: Customer feedback integration marks a shift from unidirectional communication to participatory governance. By incorporating stakeholder voices into strategy development and innovation processes, organizations reinforce community and participatory logics, thereby promoting co-ownership and fostering stakeholder loyalty.

4. Brand Visibility: Beyond mere reach, brand visibility is about projecting and reinforcing organizational values and identity. Grounded in market and cultural logics, consistent and values-aligned visibility strengthens institutional reputation and builds resilience, especially during periods of crisis.

5. Knowledge Sharing: Knowledge sharing facilitates organizational learning, innovation and transparency by promoting open exchange of expertise within and beyond organizational boundaries. Aligned with professional and normative logics, this dimension nurtures epistemic trust and positions the organization as a thought leader.

6. Privacy and Security: Privacy and security embody regulatory and civic logics by mandating responsible data stewardship, compliance with legal standards and ethical digital engagement. Effective implementation of this dimension safeguards stakeholder information and engenders trust in the organization’s commitment to digital ethics.

The framework emphasizes stakeholder engagement as the critical mediating mechanism that transforms these dimensions of social media adoption into stakeholder trust. Through authentic, inclusive and values-driven interaction, organizations create relational credibility, enhancing trustworthiness in the eyes of their stakeholders.

Figure 1 shows the theoretical model, “Digital Engagement for Stakeholder Trust (DEST) Framework”. It illustrates how different aspects of social media adoption can influence stakeholder trust through stakeholder engagement and alignment with institutional logics.

Table 2 compares four frameworks: DEST framework, Stakeholder Theory, Institutional Theory and the Honeycomb Framework, based on key focus and strengths. The DEST framework focuses on building stakeholder trust through digital engagement, with a strong emphasis on aligning digital practices with societal, ethical and institutional expectations. Stakeholder Theory (Freeman, 1984) emphasizes identifying and managing the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders, to support business goals. Institutional Theory (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983) provides a broad understanding of how organizational behaviours conform to institutional pressures. The Honeycomb framework (Kietzmann et al., 2011) is a model used to understand the building blocks of social media and analyse how people interact with online platforms. It breaks down social media into seven key functional areas or “blocks” Identity, Conversations, Sharing, Presence, Relationships, Reputation and Groups. By examining each block, businesses can better understand how users engage with their platforms and develop more effective social media strategies.

The DEST framework distinguishes itself from other models by embedding institutional logics directly into measurable digital engagement practices, ensuring that trust-building is both strategic and adaptive. Its holistic, values-driven approach integrates transparency, stakeholder participation and ethical governance, setting a new standard for digital legitimacy and organizational resilience in the evolving stakeholder landscape.

Aligning digital engagement strategies with institutional logics, the belief systems and practices guiding organizational behaviour can be effectively analysed through the following strategies: Discursive, Episodic, Systemic and Temporal.

The strategic approach to trust building in the context of social media adoption is grounded in the premise that trust is not merely a static attribute but a dynamic and multifaceted construct that evolves through continuous interaction and alignment with institutional expectations. I have proposed four primary strategies, namely discursive, episodic, systemic and temporal, which offer a nuanced framework for organizations to navigate the complexities of institutional plurality, stakeholder diversity and digital immediacy, enabling the cultivation of enduring trust that underpins organizational legitimacy and resilience in the digital era.

Discursive strategies are foundational to establishing digital trust, focusing on authentic communication that resonates with institutional identity and societal norms. Unlike abstract marketing messages, these strategies emphasize narrative authenticity, employing storytelling to communicate the organization’s values and mission in emotionally compelling ways. For instance, Patagonia’s initiative, “The Footprint Chronicles”, exemplifies this approach by transparently documenting its supply chain practices. Such narratives do not merely describe values; they embody them. When disseminated via digital platforms, particularly social media, these stories foster ethical resonance and emotional connectivity. Stakeholders today seek brands that humanize their identities through user-generated content, consistent messaging and participatory storytelling. Authenticity is institutionalized through multimodal, consistent messaging across diverse digital environments, forming the bedrock of relational trust.

The episodic strategy involves short-term, situational actions that demonstrate empathy and responsiveness, especially during moments of crisis or stakeholder concern. These are not long-term campaigns, but agile, focused responses that show the organization is listening and acting. A fitting example is Starbucks’ “My Starbucks Idea” platform, where customers suggest and vote on ideas for product improvements. This immediate feedback loop illustrates how the company adapts its offerings based on real customer needs. Similarly, during public relations challenges, brands that respond swiftly and sincerely on social media by acknowledging mistakes, issuing apologies or correcting misinformation are often seen as more trustworthy and humane. These episodes serve as “trust moments” that can significantly influence stakeholder perceptions. Trust is often tested during moments of organizational stress or societal upheaval.

Episodic strategies respond to this reality by emphasizing short-term, situational engagements that demonstrate empathy and accountability. These strategies hinge on immediacy and responsiveness qualities that are especially critical during crises or public backlash. Moreover, brands that respond swiftly to digital crises, offering apologies, clarifications or corrective actions, tend to garner stakeholder goodwill. Empathetic, real-time digital engagement builds situational trust. Incorporating tools like AI-driven customer service and live Q&A sessions strengthens the perception of transparency and care. These episodic trust moments often leave a positive impact on long-term brand credibility.

Where discursive and episodic strategies operate at the narrative and situational levels, systemic strategies function at the structural level. They involve embedding trust-building mechanisms into organizational routines and governance frameworks. Consistency across communication channels ranging from chatbots to executive messaging is key. Apple, for example, exemplifies systemic trust-building by maintaining a cohesive brand voice and commitment to privacy across all platforms. Trust is more robust when supported by institutionalized norms, standardized protocols and clear policies. Organizations should enforce digital governance frameworks that include data ethics, privacy compliance and content integrity. By aligning digital communication with institutional values, systemic strategies ensure that trust is not ad hoc but integral to the organization’s cultural DNA.

Temporal strategies underscore that trust is a longitudinal construct, cultivated over sustained periods rather than through isolated actions. This approach focuses on strategic consistency, future-oriented planning and iterative learning. Unilever’s commitment to long-term sustainability reporting exemplifies this model, as it regularly shares its environmental and social progress with stakeholders. In doing so, the company positions itself as accountable and future conscious.

Organizations can implement temporal strategies through recurring ESG disclosures, stakeholder forums and predictive analytics that adapt to evolving expectations. As digital ecosystems shift, so too must the engagement strategies, ensuring that trust is reinforced through continuity and forward-thinking responsiveness. Ongoing transparency, iterative strategy refinement and periodic stakeholder re-engagement solidify the temporal foundations of trust. Digital trust is not an instantaneous achievement, but a gradual process reinforced over time. Organizations must employ time-based engagement strategies that include regular content updates, stakeholder check-ins and iterative strategy refinement. Sustained transparency initiatives such as periodic impact reports, open forums and continuous AI-driven insights demonstrate an organization’s commitment to long-term trust cultivation. Temporal strategies also involve adapting engagement models to industry shifts and evolving stakeholder expectations.

Table 3 outlines how digital trust-building strategies align with the six dimensions of social media engagement in the DEST Framework Transparency, Customer Feedback Integration, Brand Visibility, Privacy and Security and Knowledge Sharing along with real-world examples. For Transparency, Discursive Strategy promotes open communication through channels like dashboards and executive messaging, exemplified by Patagonia’s detailed supply chain disclosures. Customer Feedback Integration uses Episodic Strategy through feedback portal, polls to gather real-time user feedback, as seen with Starbucks' “My Starbucks Idea”. Brand Visibility is supported by Systemic and Temporal Strategies through consistent, values-driven messaging across digital channels, as demonstrated by Apple. Privacy and Security leverage Systemic and Temporal Strategies to ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR, mirrored by Mozilla Firefox’s transparent data practices. Knowledge Sharing involves Discursive and Temporal Strategies, through blogs, webinars and peer-driven learning, for example Salesforce using “Ethics by Design” to share research and foster trust through openness.

Lastly, Communication Effectiveness as a key dimension of the DEST framework, emphasizing the use of all four digital trust-building strategies: Discursive, Episodic, Systemic and Temporal to enable real-time engagement, AI-personalized messaging and responsiveness across multiple platforms, thereby fostering meaningful dialogue. A real-world example is HCL Technologies, which employs its “Employee First, Customer Second” philosophy and initiatives like the “Find Your Spark” campaign to enhance personalized communication and strengthen stakeholder relationships.

This study employs a mixed-method approach, integrating a systematic literature review with a case study of HCL Technologies. I searched the following databases: Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct for peer-reviewed articles on digital engagement and stakeholder trust. Additionally, documents related to HCL Technologies, including case studies, white papers, corporate reports, official communications, and digital content, offered insights into its digital strategies.

To ensure a comprehensive review of literature and case study materials, the following search terms were used: social media AND stakeholder trust; stakeholder engagement AND social media; social media AND institutional logics; stakeholder trust AND communication effectiveness; customer feedback integration AND digital engagement; branding AND stakeholder engagement; knowledge sharing AND institutional logics.

The inclusion criteria for the literature review were that publications were required to be in the English language. Studies were included if they addressed stakeholder engagement, stakeholder trust, social media adoption in organizational contexts or any of the DEST components: transparency, communication effectiveness, customer feedback integration, brand visibility, knowledge sharing and privacy and security. Only peer-reviewed journal articles, case studies and relevant whitepapers were considered.

Studies were excluded if they lacked a clear focus on stakeholder trust, engagement or digital communication strategies or if they did not address any of the DEST framework components. Articles that offered only general discussions on social media without linking them to organizational trust or institutional alignment were omitted.

The initial search yielded 42,500 articles. After the title and abstract screening, the number of articles was reduced to 2,850. The selected articles underwent a rigorous full-text review, with priority given to studies explicitly addressing institutional logics, stakeholder engagement or stakeholder trust; 215 articles were chosen. Another round of exclusion was applied, removing studies not focused on institutional logics. After applying the exclusion criteria, 78 articles were chosen for the final review.

The systematic literature review was supported by a detailed case study of HCL Technologies. HCL Technologies was selected for its robust digital engagement practices. Secondary data was collected from, case studies, white papers, corporate reports, official communications, and digital content. Thematic coding of data was performed manually. A randomly selected sample of the full dataset was chosen for coding. This methodical approach ensured the study was grounded in a robust theoretical framework while also capturing real-world applications, making the findings both academically rigorous and practically relevant.

Figure 2 shows the PRISMA flowchart, which visually represents the flow of information through the different phases of a systematic review. It maps out the number of records identified, included and excluded, and the reasons for exclusions.

HCL Technologies (HCL Tech), a global IT services company headquartered in India, offers a compelling example of how strategic use of social media can align organizational practices with institutional logics to build stakeholder engagement and trust. HCL Tech has embedded communication strategies that resonate with societal expectations for transparency, accountability and innovation (Bhattacharya, 2008). Through the integrated use of platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter (X) and Instagram, the company has proactively advanced its organizational identity in line with emerging norms around governance, environmental stewardship and employee empowerment.

HCL Tech’s social media strategy prominently features transparency, operationalized through real-time disclosures on sustainability initiatives, business performance and CSR commitments. The deployment of public dashboards and adherence to rigorous compliance frameworks such as GDPR and ISO 27001 exemplify how regulatory and civic institutional logics are embedded in their digital narrative. These practices empower stakeholders with access to credible, verifiable information and foster ongoing dialogue, elevating organizational accountability and reinforcing trustworthiness. The company employs a data-driven approach through its Customer Data Platform (CDP), offering granular insights to transform customer interactions. CDP unifies customer data across touchpoints to create enriched, real-time and personalized customer engagement. This data-driven ecosystem reflects a commitment to participatory governance by enabling co-creation between employees and customers. The use of AI-driven platforms like IntelliService that incorporate stakeholder feedback for continuous service improvement embodies the alignment with community and participatory logics.

Communication effectiveness at HCL Tech is achieved through coordinated, multi-platform messaging across channels such as LinkedIn, YouTube and X (Twitter). Employee engagement is reinforced through initiatives such as the “Find Your Spark” campaign and real-time interactions, including webinars and live Q&A sessions. The “Employee First, Customer Second” (EFCS) philosophy underscores this approach, enhancing both employee and customer experience in alignment with market and professional logic (Hammond, 2011).

The CDP serves as the customer feedback interface where HCL employees can share ideas with customers to co-create value (Kak, 2003). The HCLTech X Customer Experience Platform is a cloud-native digital experience and engagement platform designed to help businesses create personalized customer experiences. It offers tools for content, commerce and advocacy, integrating with existing technology and providing AI-enabled insights, automation and analytics to drive engagement, faster time-to-market and increased revenue. This participatory model not only incorporates the voice of the customer into business decisions but also drives innovation and continuous improvement, hallmarks of community and participatory logic (Davila, 2021; Mondal, 2013).

The company’s approach to brand visibility underscores its alignment with modern corporate values. HCL maintains a consistent and value-driven digital presence, reinforcing its organizational identity and thought leadership. Activities include executive visibility on social media, sustainability storytelling and community-oriented content. This visibility not only strengthens market positioning but also serves as a buffer against reputational risks, particularly in dynamic industry environments. Initiatives such as the “Employee First, Customer Second” philosophy and “Find Your Spark” campaign reflect employee empowerment and sustainability. These campaigns demonstrate how brand strategy can reinforce social and normative alignment. The company emphasizes its values through regular updates on innovations, employee and community stories, CSR achievements and thought leadership content.

HCL fosters a knowledge-sharing culture via its Knowledge Management System (KMS) and enterprise social networks. HCL fosters a culture of collaborative learning using enterprise tools such as the Cognitive Knowledge Assistant and Workplace from Meta. These platforms support internal communications, enable employee-driven content creation and facilitate cross-functional teamwork. Knowledge management is linked closely to capability-building and supports professional and normative logics.

Another central feature of HCL Tech is its attention to privacy and data protection. HCL has adopted global compliance frameworks like GDPR and ISO 27001 and communicates its cybersecurity protocols openly through digital channels. This transparency about data protection reassures stakeholders, supporting regulatory and civic logic.

HCL Technologies social media engagement demonstrates how digital tools, when used in congruence with institutional logics, enhance organizational legitimacy, deepen stakeholder relationships and build trust. The case validates the DEST framework proposed in the study, showing that well-orchestrated digital communication anchored in transparency, responsiveness and social accountability serves as a cornerstone of modern strategic management. Platforms such as LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) are used not only to transmit information but also to invite dialogue with stakeholders, reinforcing norms of transparency, participation and ethical accountability. These actions collectively signal alignment with institutional logics and help generate legitimacy across key stakeholder groups, including employees, customers, investors and communities.

Table 4 presents HCL Technologies application of key social media engagement dimensions: Transparency, Communication Effectiveness and Customer Feedback Integration by mapping each dimension against four components: HCL’s strategies, alignment with institutional logics, stakeholder engagement and resulting stakeholder trust outcomes.

1. Transparency

   • Implement real-time data dashboards and blockchain-enabled audit trails to showcase compliance with GDPR and ISO 27001.

   • Regularly publish data governance reports to build stakeholder confidence.

   • Publish real-time updates on social platforms about company decisions, ESG goals and crisis responses.

   • Host live Q&A sessions and Ask Me Anything (AMA) events with executives.

2. Communication Effectiveness

   • Use AI-driven content personalization to tailor messaging for different stakeholder segments (e.g., investors, customers, employees).

   • Maintain consistent tone and brand voice across platforms.

   • Use polls, stories and direct messaging to encourage dialogue.

   • Monitor and adapt communications using sentiment tracking tools and natural language processing (NLP) based analysis.

   • Establish a content calendar that integrates engagement analytics to optimize posting times and message formats.

3. Customer Feedback Integration

   • Deploy social listening tools to capture stakeholder sentiment.

   • Highlight changes made based on user suggestions (e.g. “You asked, we delivered” posts).

   • Run interactive campaigns like idea crowdsourcing and product voting

   • Deploy chatbots with sentiment analysis to capture real-time feedback and respond instantly.

   • Integrate AI-based categorization of feedback into product and service development cycles.

   • Conduct regular CSAT surveys and report outcomes to stakeholders to close the feedback loop.

4. Brand Visibility

   • Boost brand presence by increasing engagement on trending platforms and participating in industry discussions.

   • Partner with influencers and thought leaders who align with company values.

   • Run value-driven campaigns (e.g. sustainability or diversity themes).

   • Leverage employee advocacy programs and executive LinkedIn branding.

   • Use SEO and social media benchmarking tools to refine positioning and highlight thought leadership.

   • Run campaigns focused on ESG and social impact themes to enhance public reputation.

5. Knowledge Sharing

   • Share expert blogs, whitepapers, case studies and short educational videos.

   • Host webinars, LinkedIn Live events and online communities around industry insights.

   • Encourage employee-generated content

   • Measure internal collaboration using analytics from digital tools and identify knowledge-sharing champions.

   • Encourage AI-assisted collaborative platforms to disseminate insights across departments and with external stakeholders.

6. Privacy and Security

   • Implement privacy-by-design principles in digital engagement strategies.

   • Regularly post updates on data protection measures, privacy policy changes and audit results.

   • Introduce AI-based privacy safeguards and provide clear documentation to reassure stakeholders.

Utilizing social media analytics is crucial for understanding what types of content resonate most with the audience. Regularly assessing engagement metrics allows brands to refine their strategies and adapt to changing stakeholder interests, ensuring that content remains relevant and impactful. Establishing clear KPIs is critical to gauge the success of stakeholder engagement efforts. Some common KPIs include stakeholder satisfaction ratings, engagement metrics such as likes and shares on social media, retention rates and net promoter scores (NPS). By continuously monitoring these metrics organizations can identify trends and make informed adjustments to their engagement strategies, ensuring they remain aligned with stakeholder expectations.

Table 5 outlines key performance metrics and measurement methods for each dimension of social media engagement in the DEST framework, providing a structured approach to evaluating digital trust-building. For Transparency, metrics include public disclosures and compliance adherence rates, measured through audit reports and internal logs. Communication Effectiveness is assessed using engagement rates, response times and sentiment analysis, leveraging tools like Hootsuite and CRM systems. Customer Feedback Integration relies on metrics such as CSAT and NPS, captured via surveys and AI-driven feedback tools.

Brand Visibility is measured through brand mentions, voice share and traffic growth using social monitoring and SEO analytics. Knowledge Sharing is evaluated by user engagement with learning platforms, tracked via LMS usage. The Privacy and Security dimension focuses on evaluating organizational efforts to protect stakeholder data and build digital trust. Metrics include the number of reported data breaches or incidents, the compliance audit log, e.g. adherence to GDPR standards. These metrics provide insights into how effectively an organization ensures data security and fosters trust among its stakeholders.

Together, these metrics offer a comprehensive framework for assessing the impact and alignment of social media strategies with stakeholder trust outcomes. These metrics not only track activity but also measure progress towards trust-building and stakeholder engagement. For Example:

1. Stakeholder Engagement: Use Net Promoter Score (NPS), Percentage of stakeholders participating in feedback activities or community growth rate.

2. Stakeholder Trust: Track stakeholder satisfaction survey scores, trust indices pre- and post-campaign or retention rate.

1. Engagement Rate: Measures the level of interaction your content receives from your audience. It is a critical metric for gauging content effectiveness on social media.

2. Click-Through Rate (CTR): Calculates the percentage of users clicking on a specific link out of the total viewers, reflecting content appeal.

3. Average Response Time: Average Response Time (ART) is the mean duration for a system, Website or support team to respond to a user’s or customer’s request or action. It is calculated by dividing the total time taken to respond by the total number of responses.

4. User-Generated Content Volume: It refers to any content created by users (customers, employees, etc.) about a brand or product.

5. Influence Score: An influence score quantifies a person’s or platform’s ability to affect their audience or network.

1. Social Media Sentiment Score: Quantifies the emotional tone in online conversations about a brand, product or topic (positive, neutral and negative), providing insights into public perception.

2. Stakeholder Feedback Rating: A stakeholder feedback rating is a quantitative metric used to measure how well an organization, project or product is meeting the expectations and needs of its stakeholders.

3. Real-Time Issue Resolution Rate: Is a metric that measures the percentage of customer or internal issues that are addressed and solved immediately or within a very short, specific timeframe.

4. Trust Index Score: A quantitative score for brands using publicly available data that measures consumer trust, enabling comparison between brands.

1. Share of Voice (SOV): Is a marketing metric that measures a brand’s visibility or presence in its market relative to its competitors, indicating how much of the overall media or online conversation belongs to a particular brand.

2. Search Volume Index: Tracks the frequency of brand-related searches over time, reflecting public interest.

3. Social Media Reach: Reach on social media is the number of unique individuals who see your content. To increase reach, you can leverage platform-specific features like Instagram reels and Facebook explore page, use relevant hashtags to increase discoverability and create engaging content that aligns with current trends and audience interests.

4. Media Coverage Frequency: Media coverage frequency refers to the number of times an average person in the target audience is exposed to a message within a specific campaign period.

5. Hashtag Performance tracker: Built-in analytics on social media platforms for basic metrics or using third-party tools for more in-depth analysis. Third-party services offer features like real-time tracking, sentiment analysis and competitor tracking across multiple platforms in a single dashboard.

1. Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measures customer likelihood to recommend the brand, indicating satisfaction and loyalty.

2. Brand Trust Index: A brand trust index is a metric or score that measures the level of trust consumers have in a specific brand using unique methodologies, proprietary surveys and different components like credibility, emotional appeal, transparency and authenticity.

3. Customer Retention Rate: Customer retention rate is the percentage of existing customers who remain with a company over a specific period, reflecting loyalty.

4. Employee Advocacy Score: Measures how likely an employee is to recommend the company as an employer to their network, typically by asking a question similar to the eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score).

5. Corporate Reputation Score: Based on rankings from sources like the Edelman Trust Barometer, which tracks trust in four main institutions: Government, Business, NGOs and media. Trust is measured by the average percentage of positive sentiment regarding a brand’s ability, integrity, dependability and purpose.

By implementing these specific metrics, organizations can effectively assess and enhance their digital engagement strategies.

Social media, as a communicative and participatory technology, provides organizations with an immediate channel to articulate and demonstrate alignment with institutional logics (Friedland and Arjaliès, 2021). When organizations deliberately design their social media strategies to resonate with institutional logics, they embed authenticity into their digital interactions. This alignment is manifested in proactive communication practices, transparent disclosures, participatory dialogues and the showcasing of ethical commitments, all of which foster authentic engagement.

By consistently reflecting shared values such as transparency, accountability, inclusivity or social responsibility within their digital engagement, organizations transcend mere transactional or promotional content. Instead, they build relational capital and open dialogic spaces for stakeholders to co-create meaning, validate organizational actions and feel represented in decision-making processes. Over time, this value resonance and symbolic congruence catalyze increased stakeholder engagement, as key audiences are more likely to participate in forums, share feedback and support initiatives that visibly align with their beliefs and expectations. It is the deliberate alignment of social media activities with dominant institutional logics rather than presence or frequency alone that fosters meaningful, sustained stakeholder engagement within the digital environment (Reay and Hinings, 2009; Rashidi-Sabet and Bolton, 2024).

While social media platforms enable organizations to communicate broadly and efficiently, trust is cultivated not simply through digital presence but through the quality and authenticity of stakeholder interactions that these platforms enable. Engagement, in this context, refers to the depth, reciprocity and inclusivity of exchanges between organizations and their stakeholders characterized by participatory mechanisms such as real-time feedback, open dialogue and collaborative problem-solving.

In practice, when organizations facilitate interactive touchpoints such as virtual town halls, social media polls, crowdsourced content or transparent crisis communications, they enact their values and commitments in publicly observable ways (Rashidi-Sabet and Bolton, 2024; Eriksson, 2018). These participatory engagements foster perceptions of competence, integrity and benevolence.

Therefore, stakeholder engagement serves as a critical conduit; it operationalizes the symbolic intentions and technological affordances of social media, translating them into relational experiences that stakeholders interpret as credible, fair and consistent with organizational and societal values. Trust ultimately accumulates through repeated, positive engagement cycles, enabling organizations to convert digital strategy into enduring trust and legitimacy (Mayer et al., 1995; Mair et al., 2015). Thus, the proposition is sustained by the argument that the impact of social media adoption on stakeholder trust is contingent upon the presence, depth and authenticity of engagement processes that bridge organizations and their stakeholder communities.

The findings of this study reveal that social media engagement becomes a source of stakeholder trust and legitimacy only when it is aligned with institutional logics. Organizations that strategically incorporate six dimensions of the DEST Framework, transparency, communication effectiveness, customer feedback integration, brand visibility, knowledge sharing and privacy and security into their digital engagement are more successful in fostering meaningful relationships with their stakeholders. The four strategic approaches within the DEST Framework highlight diverse pathways for cultivating digital trust. Discursive strategies emphasize authentic, narrative-driven communication, employing storytelling to build emotional connections and institutional alignment. Episodic strategies focus on timely, context-specific actions that demonstrate empathy and responsiveness, particularly during crises or stakeholder concerns. Systemic strategies embed trust-building into organizational routines and governance structures, ensuring consistent and institutionalized communication practices.

Temporal strategies underscore the importance of sustained, long-term engagement focused on continuity, iterative learning and proactive adaptation to evolving stakeholder expectations, thereby fostering enduring trust over time. These strategies collectively enable organizations to balance authenticity, agility, consistency and longevity in their digital engagement to enhance stakeholder trust.

HCL Technologies exemplifies the successful application of the DEST Framework. Its digital engagement practices synthesize discursive, episodic, systemic and temporal trust-building strategies. Real-time transparency (e.g. compliance dashboards, sustainability updates), multi-platform communication effectiveness, participatory customer feedback integration, consistent brand visibility, robust knowledge-sharing initiatives and rigorous privacy and security compliance collectively enhance stakeholder engagement. These actions not only foster trust but also bolster organizational legitimacy amid increasingly complex and dynamic stakeholder expectations. The DEST Framework offers a comprehensive model for organizations seeking to operationalize digital trust in line with institutional logics. Importantly, the study contributes to closing the gap in existing literature by linking the integration of institutional logics with digital practices and measurable trust outcomes. For organizations, this means that success in today’s hyper-transparent, socially responsive digital ecosystem hinges not just on platform presence but on the strategic alignment of digital behaviours with prevailing societal expectations, fostering trust and stakeholder engagement.

This study demonstrates that the strategic adoption of social media when consciously aligned with institutional logics such as regulatory, civic, market, professional and normative values substantially enhances both stakeholder engagement and organizational trust. Through the development and application of the DEST Framework, the research finds that trust in digital organizational contexts is not achieved through mere platform usage or content frequency. Instead, trust is cultivated by embedding transparency, communication effectiveness, customer feedback integration, brand visibility, knowledge sharing and robust privacy and security practices within digital engagement strategies that are aligned with institutional logics.

The DEST framework moves beyond traditional models by integrating institutional logics directly into digital practices, enabling organizations to not only comply with societal expectations but also to build legitimacy and resilience amid the pressures of digital scrutiny. The case study of HCL Technologies illustrates how an institutionally anchored social media approach featuring real-time disclosures, multi-platform communication, participatory feedback mechanisms and transparent data governance effectively builds trustworthiness and fosters sustainable stakeholder relationships.

Crucially, the findings underscore that stakeholder engagement acts as the critical mediator bridging social media adoption and the emergence of stakeholder trust. Meaningful participation, dialogic interaction and co-creation opportunities convert digital communications into vehicles for lasting legitimacy and relational credibility. In today’s hyper-transparent environment, success relies not on the proliferation of digital communications but on their values-driven alignment with the norms and beliefs of stakeholders.

Ultimately, the DEST framework provides a comprehensive, adaptable roadmap for organizations seeking to enhance trust, credibility and ethical resilience through socially responsible digital strategies. By systematically integrating institutional logics into the core of digital engagement practices, organizations can co-create value, secure public confidence and ensure sustainable legitimacy in the fast-evolving digital age.

While the DEST framework offers a structured approach to digital engagement, challenges such as resource constraints may hinder its adoption. Addressing these barriers requires strategic leadership buy-in, regulatory compliance considerations to ensure smoother integration. Expanding the DEST framework’s application across diverse sectors such as healthcare, finance and government could reveal sector-specific engagement strategies and the framework’s broader relevance.

I sincerely thank Dr Shaji Joseph, Associate Professor, Symbiosis Centre for Information Technology, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India, for his valuable guidance and constructive feedback, which greatly helped me in revising and improving my manuscript.