Communication Privacy Management and Self-Disclosure on Social Media - A Case of Facebook

Social Media Websites are used by individuals to find new friends, (re)connect with old friends, family and relatives, maintain relationships, share information, join groups, create and manage events, pass time, and much more. While many users consistently engage in disclosing their personal information on social media, several others hold themselves back due to privacy concerns. This study employs communication privacy management theory as a theoretical framework to examine the effects of individual motives, communication privacy management practices (boundary permeability & boundary ownership) and privacy concerns on the amount and depth of self-disclosure on Facebook. Results of Partial Least Square Analysis using a sample of 240 respondents provide evidence that individuals’ communication privacy management practices influences the amount and depth of their self-disclosure. Implications for practice and future research areas are also discussed.