Abstract
One of the most challenging issues confronting social media operators is how to increase users’ activity and self-disclosure behaviour. However, more and more users are lowering their disclosures on social media, such as WeChat in China. Using social cognitive theory as a starting point while utilizing mobile instant messaging software WeChat as an example, this paper studies the dynamics that influence users’ self-disclosure behaviour on WeChat from two aspects: individual factors and environment factors. A structural equation model is used to verify a conceptual model. The results show that, firstly, mobile users’ self-disclosure behaviour on WeChat can be affected by both individual factors and environment factors. Specifically, individual factors, such as privacy concerns, negatively affect users’ self-disclosure behaviour, while environmental factors, such as social influences, positively affect users’ self-disclosure behaviour. More importantly, the research points to significant differences in self-disclosure behaviour between mobile users of different genders and ages. As such, the conclusions of this paper should provide key information for optimized operation of WeChat and other mobile information systems.
Highlights
According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the number of Internet users in China rose to 854 million by June 2019, with a penetration rate of 61.2%
E measurements include perceived severity (PS), which consists of four items selected from Mohamed and Ahmad’s work [36]; privacy experience (PE), which consists of three items of measurement questions selected from Bansal et al.’s work [42]; privacy concerns (PC), which consists of three items of measurement selected from Baek and Morimoto’s work [43]; and social influence (SI), which includes two measurement items; and Yun et al.’s [44] maturity scale is selected
Key Findings. e purpose of this paper is to study the dynamics that influence users’ self-disclosure behaviour on WeChat from two aspects: individual factors and environment factors. e results show that, firstly, perceived severity and privacy experience positively affect users’ privacy concerns
Summary
According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the number of Internet users in China rose to 854 million by June 2019, with a penetration rate of 61.2%. As social media applications grow increasingly rich in information and utility, the influence of social media communication among users is significantly enhanced; on the other hand, the privacy of users in the mobile Internet environment can be seen to be in a rather fragile position, with user concerns about selfdisclosure in social media continuing to increase. Considering the significance of selfdisclosure, eliminating mobile users’ privacy concerns and encouraging them to upload and disclose personal information in social networks will be of great interest to those developing the functionality of social networks. Considering the significance of selfdisclosure, eliminating mobile users’ privacy concerns and encouraging them to upload and disclose personal information in social networks will be of great interest to those developing the functionality of social networks. erefore, it is both urgent and necessary to explore the influencing factors and motivations of users’ self-disclosure behaviour
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