Living a private life in public social networks: An exploration of member self-disclosure

a r t i c l e i n f o In this article, the author examines voluntary self-disclosure phenomenon among social networking sites. Self-disclosure enables member interactions, service customizations, targeted marketing, and digital content generation; hence the level of self-disclosure is imperative to the success of social networking sites. Yet, members are often reluctant to reveal themselves despite their desire for socialization in the ever-increasingly popular cyber community. Drawing upon relevant literature, we developed a succinct research model that identifies key stimuli and inhibitors of member self-disclosure. These influences stem from personality traits (e.g., extroversion and privacy value), networking service attributes (e.g., perceived critical mass), and computing environments (e.g., perceived Internet risk). The research model was validated through survey data collected from 222 social networking site users and the analysis results provided support to the hypothesized relationships. The current study generates new knowledge concerning the roles that varying factors play in shaping members' self-disclosure; it also informs networking service providers about how to better encourage members to reveal themselves online. Until recently, social networking sites have grown rapidly on the In-ternet. These sites allow members to create personal profiles, manage personal connections, and interact with other members with similar interests [9]. Due to the support in the management of personal networks, these websites have attracted millions of online users. As of February 2012, Pew Internet found that 66% of online adults use social networking sites [10]. Facebook alone, for example, attracted 995 million monthly active users in June 2012, with about 80% of users residing outside of the United States and Canada [26]. Social networking sites are considered by many as the " greatest invention of the past decade " [5] and the " best invention of the 21st century " [31]. These websites have made significant impacts on general society because they create brand new frontiers for interpersonal communications and interactions [36,79,101]. Academia recognizes this impact; several research streams exist within the realm of social networking studies, including self-presentation [8,60], network topology [33,44], and adoption [80,84]. However, less is known about member self-disclosure. Self-disclosure refers to any personal information one shares with others [20]. This may include " any information exchange that refers to the self, including personal states, dispositions, events in the past, and plans for the future " [24]. New knowledge in this regard is imperative to the long-term sustainability of social networking sites for four …