Self-disclosure in online social networks: The needs-affordances-features perspective

Zhenxin Xiao, Xiang Gong*, Christy M.K. Cheung

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Abstract

Drawing on affordance theory and the needs–affordances–features (NAF) perspective, this paper examines the impacts of online social network (OSN) affordances and psychological ownership on users’ self-disclosure. Through the analysis of data collected from a field survey and a scenario-based experiment, we found that accessibility, information retrieval, editability, and association affordances positively affect psychological ownership, which further determines users’ self-disclosure on OSNs. This paper not only advances the understanding of OSN self-disclosure by emphasizing the significance of OSN affordances and psychological ownership but also offers practical insights for OSN providers to enhance self-disclosure by designing effective affordances.

Original languageEnglish
Article number104102
Number of pages14
JournalInformation and Management
Volume62
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2025

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Management Information Systems
  • Information Systems
  • Information Systems and Management

User-Defined Keywords

  • Contextualization
  • Information privacy and security
  • Online self-disclosure
  • Psychological ownership
  • Technology affordance
  • The needs-affordances-features perspective

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