User self-disclosure on social network sites: A cross-cultural study on Facebook’s privacy concepts

Abstract

This study investigates a cross-cultural comparison between Germany and Norway regarding users’ self-disclosure of personal information on social network sites (SNSs). More specifically, the study considers three antecedents of privacy, namely concerns, attitudes, and intentions, and evaluates their potential effects on self-disclosure, considering Facebook as the SNS of choice. The study employs a deductive research approach and develops a conceptual model based on the theoretical analysis. Data is collected via an online survey of users in Germany and Norway. The results show that privacy intention is the only antecedent that has a significant direct influence on users' self-disclosure of information. By contrast, neither privacy concerns nor privacy attitude have a statistically significant influence on self-disclosure. Additionally, there are statistically significant differences between the German and Norwegian samples in privacy concepts and reported self-disclosure. The results support the creation of more transparent privacy policies by SNS providers to improve targeted marketing.