Media and Communication Ph.D. Dissertations
Transitory Information Sharing: The Relationship Between Social Anxiety and Online Self-Disclosure Through Ephemerality
Date of Award
2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Media and Communication
First Advisor
Frederick Busselle (Committee Co-Chair)
Second Advisor
Yanqin Lu (Committee Co-Chair)
Third Advisor
Hyungsuk Choo (Other)
Fourth Advisor
Louisa Ha (Committee Member)
Abstract
Through an online survey, this research explores the relationship between self-reported social anxiety, self-disclosure, and the use of ephemeral social media affordances. Ephemeral social media content is social media messages, text, pictures, and videos that disappear upon initial viewing or after a short period of time. Recent studies focusing on social information processing theory have utilized the Internet Attribute Perception (IAP) model to show that social media might increase self-disclosure for socially anxious social media users. The IAP model extends social information processing theory to focus on how socially anxious social media users’ perceptions of social media controllability can predict online self-disclosure. This survey study utilizes a model similar to the IAP model to better understand the relationship between perceptions about ephemerality and self-disclosure. Specifically, this study focuses on whether users with social anxiety perceive ephemeral social media to be important when engaging with it and if they self-disclose through ephemeral social media content. This study found that social media users with higher reported leveled of social anxiety were more likely to perceive ephemerality as important and engage with ephemeral social media content. More specifically, those with higher levels of social anxiety are more likely to self-disclose online. The results also show that ephemeral social media engagement is indirectly related to online self-disclosure. Furthermore, ephemerality is important to those with social anxiety when they are engaging and disclosing through social media platforms.
Recommended Citation
Harmon, Michael Jeffrey, "Transitory Information Sharing: The Relationship Between Social Anxiety and Online Self-Disclosure Through Ephemerality" (2022). Media and Communication Ph.D. Dissertations. 148.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/media_comm_diss/148