Exploring Privacy Management on Facebook: Motivations and Perceived Consequences of Voluntary Disclosure

Abstract

This study examined the perceived motivations and consequences of voluntary disclosure of Facebook active users using a survey administered to college students in a public-speaking course. College-age students who took the survey were motivated to use Facebook because they perceived their relationships improved with friends and family, although using Facebook could become negatively habit forming. The research suggests that users of Facebook use it more for disclosing to distant friends rather than to close friends, which is divergent from most early disclosure research that equates disclosure with intimacy. This research utilizes Communication Privacy Management Theory for the theoretical framework.