Self-Disclosure Characteristics and Motivations in Social Media

Extending the Functional Model to Multiple Social Network Sites

Bibliographic Data

ID2264216
AuthorsYoon Hyung Choi (0000-0003-2561-4554, Department of Communication; Cornell University; Ithaca NY 14853-4203 USA), Natalie N Bazarova (0000-0001-5375-6598, Cornell University), Natalya N Bazarova (Department of Communication; Cornell University; Ithaca NY 14853-4203 USA)
Year2015
Volume41
Issue4
Pages480-500
Publication date2015-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Communication Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0360-3989 • E-ISSN: 1468-2958
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/hcre.12053
OpenAlexW1516009960
LanguageEN
Citations received36
References cited29

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in self-disclosure goals, privacy concerns, and self-disclosure characteristics between Facebook and Twitter. These sites were compared in terms of audience representations, based on structural cues that suggest potential audiences for a user. We conceptualized audience representations in 2 ways: based on privacy boundaries that imply bounded versus unbounded audiences, and on network characteristics such as size and diversity for audiences within the boundary. Results revealed that self-disclosure goals, privacy concerns, and self-disclosure intimacy were different depending on the privacy boundary. Network characteristics were also important, but effects were moderated by the privacy boundary type, suggesting a complex interplay between the 2 types of audience representations in shaping self-disclosure in social media

Boundary (topology · Diversity (politics · Internet privacy · Self-disclosure · Social media · Social network (sociolinguistics · Sociology · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Privacy, Security, and Data Protection · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology