Relationships among attachment theory, social capital perspective, personality characteristics, and Facebook self-disclosure
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-01-2016-0001 |
| Published date | 16 May 2016 |
| Pages | 362-386 |
| Date | 16 May 2016 |
| Author | Noa Aharony |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval |
Relationships among attachment
theory, social capital perspective,
personality characteristics,
and Facebook self-disclosure
Noa Aharony
Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Abstract
Purpose –Due to the growth of Facebook use, the question arises regarding which factors may
influence individuals’self-disclosure while using the site. The purpose of this paper is to examine: first,
to what extent does attachment theory explain users’self-disclosure on Facebook; second, to what
extent does the social capital paradigm explain users’self-disclosure on Facebook; third, to what extent
do personality characteristics explain users’self-disclosure on Facebook; and fourth, to what extent do
demographic details explain users’self-disclosure on Facebook.
Design/methodology/approach –Research was conducted in Israel and included 183 library and
informationscience students. Participants were askedto complete the followingquestionnaires: personal
details,Facebook use, importanceof Facebook use,demographic disclosure, picturedisclosure, disclosure,
social capital, attachment, and personality.
Findings –The current study extends research about Facebook self-disclosure and confirms that
attachment theory, as well as social capital, personality traits, and age significantly predict Facebook
self-disclosure.
Originality/value –We should bear in mind that there are certain people who may benefit from
disclosing information on Facebook, while there are others who may be at risk, because they reveal
more personal information than they intended and the line between the two is fuzzy. Individuals should
bear in mind that if they disclose too much information, they might become easy targets for abuse,
internet predators, sexual solicitation, sexting, cyberbullying, and online harassment.
Keywords Social capital, Facebook, Openness to experience, Attachment theory,
Extroversion, Self-disclosure
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Among many social networks sites (SNS), Facebook has been the most popular, with
more than 1.49 billion active monthly users spread across the world (Zephoria, 2015).
Facebook enables users to connect with their close friends and family, as well as keep in
touch with acquaintances, and develop connections with new friends. SNSs stimul ate
individuals to disclose contact and personal information (Lewis et al., 2008), as well
as share feelings, activities, and thoughts. Researchers maintain that because of
the unthreatening nature of computer-mediated social networking, SNSs encourage
self-disclosure from people who would not normally reveal personal information in
face-to-face situations (Forest and Wood, 2012). This disclosure may establish common
ground with others and encourage peer feedback (Lampe et al., 2007). Yet, people may
reveal more personal information than they intended (Taddicken and Jers, 2011).
Due to the growth of Facebook use, the question arises regarding which factors may
influenceindividuals’self-disclosure while using the site. The results of such research may
contribute to understanding those individuals who may benefit from online self-disclosure
and those who may be at high risk as a result of damaging self-disclosure on Facebook.
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 68 No. 3, 2016
pp. 362-386
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-01-2016-0001
Received 5 January 2016
Revised 14 March 2016
Accepted 21 March 2016
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2050-3806.htm
362
AJIM
68,3
Several studies thus far have focussed on Facebook disclosure by addressing personal
details (Christofides et al., 2009), feelings, thoughts and activities ( Jones et al., 2008;
Valenzuela et al., 2009), privacy (Al-Saggaf, 2011; Boyd and Ellison, 2007), loneliness
(Al-Saggaf and Nielsen, 2014), and social aspects and motivations ( Chang and Heo, 2014;
Hollenbaugh and Ferris, 2014).
However, no one has integrated and investigated attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969),
the social capital paradigm (Putnam, 2000), as well as two personality characteristics
derived from the “Big Five”model (Costa and McCrae, 1992), as theoretical bases from
which one can predict factors that may influence users’self-disclosure on Facebook.
The objectives of this study were to examine: first, to what extent does attachment
theory explain users’self-disclosure on Facebook; second, to what extent does the social
capital paradigm explain users’self-disclosure on Facebook; third, to what ex tent do
personality characteristics explain users’self-disclosure on Facebook; andfourth, to what
extent do demographic details explain users’self-disclosure on Facebook. The research
may contribute to a theoretical understanding of variables that influence individuals’
self-disclosure on Facebook, and may lead to further inquiry and thought in this field.
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: the next section introduces the
theoretical foundations and hypothesis development for the proposed study. Research
methods are provided next, followed by findings and discussion. To conclude, the last
section provides theoretical contributions along with a discussion of future rese arch
directions.
Literature review
Self-disclosure
Jourard and Lasakow (1958) maintain that self-disclosure is the process of makin g the
self-known to others. The degree of self-disclosure is frequently based on trust and can
strengthen closeness among individuals (Cozby, 1973; Derlega et al., 1987). More
recently, research on self-disclosure has shifted from interpersonal communication to
online media. Tidwell and Walther (2002) have noted that individuals are apt to
disclose more personal information on the web when compared to traditional
interpersonal communication. Researchers claim that people tend to reveal personal
information on the internet as a result of the absence of oral and non-verbal cues, and
the absence of public self-awareness (Dyson, 1998; Horn, 1998; Kollock and Smith, 1999;
Markham, 1998; Rheingold, 2000). In addition, self-disclosure can also be linked with
the level of trust between communicators (Valenzuela et al., 2009). Forest and Wood
(2012) suggest that the unthreatening nature of SNS platforms enable self-disclosure
from people who would not usually reveal personal information in face-to-face
interactions. Focussing on Facebook, Mazer et al. (2007) posit that Facebook
characteristics encourage self-disclosure, as it is a user-friendly platform that enables
easy access for posting pictures, updating one’s status, and sharing other content.
Researchers note that users tend to disclose personal information, such as e-mail
address, birthday, relationship status, and educational background on their profile pages
(Christofides et al., 2009). It should be noted that much of this revealed information can be
seen by a vast audience, depending on a users’privacy settings. However, Wilson et al.
(2012) assert that, recently, users have become less willing to share their personal
information due to security concerns. However, teenagers seem to share more information
about themselves on SNS than they did in the past (Madden et al., 2013). Scholars estimate
that disclosing information by adolescents can be misused and could lead to cyberbullying
(Veenstra et al., 2012), as well as have an unfavorable influence on their online reputations,
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self-disclosure
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