User Self-Disclosure on Health Social Networks: A Social Exchange Perspective

Based on social exchange theory, this study develops a research model to examine why people disclose personal information on health social networks. The observations collected from a survey study provide supporting evidence for most of the hypothesized relationships among emotional intensity, informational needs, social needs, informational privacy concerns, social privacy concerns and self-disclosure. The results suggest people made self-disclosure decisions by evaluating perceived benefits in terms of user needs and perceived risks in terms of privacy concerns. It is also found that emotional intensity and disease type regulate and moderate user self-disclosure behavior on health social networks.