Followership behavior and corporate social responsibility disclosure: Analysis and implications for sustainability research

This study explores the influence of social media on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure. The purpose is to understand if and how followership behaviours (e.g., likes, comments, sharing) impact CSR disclosure to achieve legitimacy by stakeholders. A systematic literature review has been conducted on a data collection of 78 scientific articles published between 2001 and 2021. Under the lens of the Legitimacy Theory, this study provides insights into key topics through a retrospective review of the published content by scholars in CSR disclosure and social media issues. The findings highlight that field research has mainly focused on the influence of emerging social media on marketing and advertisement. In contrast, less attention has been paid to how CSR disclosure changes or is affected by social media, particularly followership behaviors. The study offers theoretical and practical implications on the legitimacy companies seek through CSR disclosure and exogenous factors, such as social media. In fact, followership behaviors could represent an accelerator of the disclosure process, influencing responsible business strategy based on knowledge sharing within a virtual community.