Why Do People Disclose Themselves in Social Networking Services?: A Study of Factors Affecting on Self-Disclosure on Facebook

Abstract

Self-disclosure is any message about the self that a person communicates to another in the formation of relationship building on OSNs. Self-disclosure plays an important role in forming interpersonal relationships in a virtual space where individuals try to make new relationships with others. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior, this study theoretically articulates and empirically tests a model positing that perceived benefits and risks affect OSN users self-disclosure. Results indicate that perceived benefits (perceived enjoyment, relationship management, showing off, and social influence) and perceived privacy risks play a significant role on OSN users self-disclosure. This study provides implications for both research and practice in that it can give better insights into how individuals perceived benefits and risks can affect their self-disclosure. This study also finds that OSN users tend to disclose themselves after calculating rewards and costs of self-disclosure although they are aware of the privacy risks.