Social Media Self-Disclosure: A Research Agenda

The pervasive use of social media platforms in our daily lives has encouraged the self-disclosure of personal information. These self-disclosure behaviors engender numerous risks such as identity theft or cyberbullying. More than ever, it is important to understand the disclosure decision process to prevent harm. Self-disclosure decisions are influenced by individual differences and situational cues. Yet, research so far has neglected the influence of personality traits, emotions, and motives separately and together on self-disclosure. To address this gap, this short paper offers a framework for future research. Investigating such relationships will enable to design interventions to discourage oversharing of potentially damaging personal information.