Why We Disclose on Social Media? Towards a Dual-Pathway Model.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Communication Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• Social media self-disclosure is a key behavior influencing online interactions.
• Understanding the psychological impacts of self-disclosure is crucial in the digital age.
• Existing research often overlooks the nuanced effects on different types of social capital and user outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the influence of social media self-disclosure on bridging and bonding online social capital.
• To investigate how these forms of social capital affect users' loneliness and online interpersonal trust.
• To explore the moderating role of personality (agreeableness) in the self-disclosure process.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey data from 1519 Chinese social media users.
• Statistical analysis using a moderated mediation model.
• Regression analyses to test hypothesized relationships.

Main Results:

• Social media self-disclosure positively predicted both bridging and bonding social capital.
• Bridging social capital mediated the reduction in loneliness.
• Bonding social capital mediated the increase in online interpersonal trust.
• Agreeableness moderated the relationship between self-disclosure and bonding social capital.

Conclusions:

• Self-disclosure on social media significantly shapes online social capital, impacting well-being and trust.
• The study clarifies the distinct pathways through which bridging and bonding social capital influence loneliness and trust.
• Findings contribute to understanding user motivations for disclosure, even amidst privacy concerns.