Abstract
Information-sharing behavior is affected by identity recognition perception. The current study aims to delve into the impact of familiarity and anonymity on information-sharing behavior, and the mediating role of intrinsic motivations on WeChat Moments. We hypothesized a mediator role of intrinsic motivations in the relationship between an individual’s perceptions and information sharing. Based on the self-determination theory, a model was created and tested using a sample of 531 frequent users. In this study, these users were asked to use WeChat Moments, the most popular mobile private social networking site in China. The results demonstrate the significance of familiarity and identifiability in an interpersonal relationship, when using social networking sites. Moreover, the influence of perceived anonymity on information-sharing behavior, which is entirely mediated by intrinsic motivation has been validated from an empirical perspective. Our findings extend previous studies by showing the totally mediated effect of perceived anonymity on information-sharing behavior on WeChat Moments and the influential mechanism of intrinsic motivation. The results will inform researchers about the importance of incorporating the interpersonal structural features and intrinsic motivation of social networking sites into future studies on online information-sharing behavior. Important ways to promote attention and share information involve building a familiar relationship with communities and equipping oneself with off-line relations. Final indications for future developments are provided, with a special emphasis on the development of these findings in various social networking sites contexts.
Highlights
With social networking sites becoming more and more critical, individuals all over the world have integrated these sites into their daily practices (Lee and Ma, 2012; Cheung et al, 2015)
The current study suggests that perceived anonymity has a negative influence on perceived relatedness and autonomy, and the two intrinsic motives totally mediate the negative influence of perceived anonymity on information sharing
The current study applied the theory of self-determination and constructed a research model to explore the influence of two psychological factors, familiarity and perceived anonymity
Summary
With social networking sites becoming more and more critical, individuals all over the world have integrated these sites into their daily practices (Lee and Ma, 2012; Cheung et al, 2015). Social networking sites, abbreviated SNSs, mainly has three functions: To improve the innovation ability of individuals and groups, to explore social behavior change, and to cultivate collective intelligence (Cachia et al, 2007), improving people’s lives, users with low self-esteem and life satisfaction benefit most from the use of SNS (Błachnio et al, 2016), which is positively related to friendship quality (Wang et al, 2014), and personal characteristics, attitudes, motivations, privacy concerns, and selfefficacy may predict the use of SNSs (Wang D. et al, 2015; Wang J.L. et al, 2015; Dienlin and Metzger, 2016; Chua and Chua, 2017). There is a gap in the research relating to the influence of the concealment of users’ identities on self-disclosure or information-sharing behavior on different SNSs
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