Intimate Exchanges: Using Computers to Elicit Self‐Disclosure From Consumers

Abstract

This investigation examines the dynamics associated with soliciting intimate information from consumers via computers. Experiment 1 identifies two factors--reciprocity and sequence--that affect the likelihood that people will reveal intimate information about themselves via a computer. Experiment 2 provides evidence that intimate information exchanges can affect how consumers behave in subsequent interactions. Implications for marketing research and practice are discussed. Copyright 2000 by the University of Chicago.