Criteria and rules for privacy management prior to self-disclosures on social network sites (SNSs)

Abstract

This study applied a novel theoretical framework of communication privacy management theory (CPM) to examine how criteria such as context, culture, and privacy motivation influence information boundary coordination rules (boundary linkage, ownership, and permeability rules) on Facebook. In particular, the current study has made an initial attempt to examine how the CPM’s boundary coordination rules are related as a process to make disclosures; how to manage connections (boundary linkage rule) and how to regulate information flow (boundary ownership rule) influence how much to disclose (boundary permeability rule) on Facebook. The study recruited active Facebook users (N = 397, Mage = 20.68, SDage = 3.63) in a large northeastern US university to complete an online survey in fall 2015. A structural equation model was proposed to test the hypothesized paths among variables proposed to build the model. Findings reveal that context (perceptions of boundless communication) and privacy motivation led to the coordination of strict boundary ownership rules for disclosure on Facebook. The context and privacy motivation however differ in their influence on the coordination of boundary linkage rule; the more individuals felt the greater need for privacy, the less likely that they attempted to create connection whereas perceiving a lack of boundaries in communication did not influence the pursuance of future connections. The culture (the goal of using Facebook for making friends) did not predict either the coordination of the boundary linkage rule or the boundary ownership rule. As expected, the coordination of the boundary linkage rule positively influenced the coordination of the permeability rule (depth of disclosure), but the coordination of the boundary ownership rule negatively influenced it. The statistical test suggested an addition of a path from the boundary ownership to the boundary linkage rule, generating an implication that the regulation of information flow (privacy desire) and managing networks (connection desire) work together in disclosure decisions. Implications of the findings on different roles of privacy motivation and context in forming privacy management and disclosure tendency are discussed to advance the modeling of comprehensive information boundary management for disclosures on SNSs.