PurposeThis paper aims to present typologies of entrepreneurs using entrepreneurs' engagement and use of social media (SM) for business purposes as a means of categorisation. Based on this categorisation, four types of entrepreneurs are proposed: the hopefuls, the assureds, the opportunists and the passengers. The emergent typology should serve as the basis for further thought and empiricism.Design/methodology/approachA two-phase quantitative opportunistic sampling approach was employed. First, entrepreneurial experts' (n = 8) structured interviews informed the survey design. Secondly, an online survey, based on theory of planned behaviour (TPB), was completed with entrepreneurs at business incubation centres (BICs) in Ireland. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified a number of entrepreneur typologies using participants' (n = 124) business-related SM activities. Differences in entrepreneurial types were explained using the TPB, trust, security and demographic variables.FindingsResults indicate that there are four distinct types of entrepreneurs based on their business-related SM activities. Once the typology was created, comparisons were conducted between each type based on the psychological drivers of the TPB. Trend differences were identified between the distinct typologies.Originality/valueThe value of this research is that the research proposes a typology of entrepreneurs categorised based on SM engagement and use. The typology can be used to identify and compare the differences between entrepreneurs based on perceptions regarding SM, abilities related to SM and the support entrepreneurs need in relation to this. This research is novel in that the research addresses calls to segment the increasingly diverse and complex entrepreneurial population using the pillars of social and digital technology as a focus. The research also provides a framework for examination and replication in other geographic and entrepreneurial settings.

中文翻译：

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探索企业家与商业相关的社交媒体类型：一种潜在的类分析方法

目的本文旨在介绍使用企业家参与和出于商业目的使用社交媒体 (SM) 作为分类手段的企业家类型。在此分类的基础上，提出了四种类型的企业家：有希望的、有保证的、机会主义者和乘客。新兴类型学应作为进一步思考和经验主义的基础。设计/方法/方法采用两阶段定量机会抽样方法。首先，企业家专家（n = 8）的结构化访谈为调查设计提供了信息。其次，一项基于计划行为理论（TPB）的在线调查与爱尔兰企业孵化中心（BIC）的企业家一起完成。潜在类别分析 (LCA) 使用参与者的 (n = 124) 与业务相关的 SM 活动。使用 TPB、信任、安全和人口变量解释了企业家类型的差异。调查结果表明，根据他们与业务相关的 SM 活动，有四种不同类型的企业家。一旦创建了类型学，就会根据 TPB 的心理驱动因素在每种类型之间进行比较。不同类型之间的趋势差异被确定。原创性/价值本研究的价值在于，该研究提出了一种基于 SM 参与和使用分类的企业家类型。该类型学可用于根据对 SM 的看法、与 SM 相关的能力以及企业家在这方面需要的支持来识别和比较企业家之间的差异。这项研究的新颖之处在于，该研究以社会和数字技术的支柱为重点，解决了对日益多样化和复杂的企业家群体进行细分的呼吁。该研究还为在其他地理和企业环境中进行检查和复制提供了一个框架。