Does ostracism impede Chinese tourist self-disclosure on WeChat? The perspective of social anxiety and self-construal

Abstract

In China, Tourist self-disclosure on WeChat not only enhances their experiences, but also is an important user-generated content (UGC) in the tourism and hospitality fields. Based on Communication Privacy Management (CPM) Theory, this study explores the psychological mechanism of ostracism impede tourist self-disclosure on WeChat platform. The findings indicate that offline ostracism decreases tourist self-disclosure behaviour directly as well as indirectly by increasing cyber ostracism and social anxiety. Further, interdependent self-construal moderates the relationship between cyber ostracism and social anxiety. Suggestions are provided for tourism and hospitality marketing based on tourists’ online and offline social network interactions as well as their cultural traits.