Privacy Concerns Versus Desire for Interpersonal Awareness in Driving the Use of Self-Disclosure Technologies: The Case of Instant Messaging in Two Cultures.

Author List: Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Cao, Jinwei; Everard, Andrea;
Journal of Management Information Systems, 2011, Volume 27, Issue 4, Page 163-200.
Social computing technologies typically have multiple features that allow users to reveal their personal information to other users. Such self-disclosure (SD) behavior is generally considered positive and beneficial in interpersonal communication and relationships. Using a newly proposed model based on social exchange theory, this paper investigates and empirically validates the relationships between SD technology use and culture. In particular, we explore the effects of culture on information privacy concerns and the desire for online interpersonal awareness, which influence attitudes toward, intention to use, and actual use of SD technologies. Our model was tested using arguably the strongest social computing technology for online SD— instant messaging (IM)—with users from China and the United States. Our findings reveal that cross-cultural dimensions are significant predictors of information privacy concerns and desire for online awareness, which are, in turn, found to be predictors of attitude toward, intention to use, and actual use of IM. Overall, our proposed model is applicable to both cultures. Our findings enhance the theoretical understanding of the effects of culture and privacy concerns on SD technologies and provide practical suggestions for developers of SD technologies, such as adding additional control features to applications.
Keywords: instant messaging;privacy;self-disclosure;self-disclosure technologies;social computing technologies;social exchange theory;theory of reasoned action
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#140 0.224 model use theory technology intention information attitude acceptance behavioral behavior intentions research understanding systems continuance models planned percent attitudes predict
#108 0.131 model research data results study using theoretical influence findings theory support implications test collected tested based empirical empirically context paper
#239 0.129 privacy information concerns individuals personal disclosure protection concern consumers practices control data private calculus regulation risk individual legislation government sensitive
#179 0.104 technologies technology new findings efficiency deployed common implications engineers conversion change transformational opportunity deployment make making improve powerful choosing enhance
#28 0.092 cultural culture differences cross-cultural states united status national cultures japanese studies japan influence comparison versus china participants country singapore diverse
#130 0.085 online users active paper using increasingly informational user data internet overall little various understanding empirical despite lead cascades help availability
#25 0.053 relationships relationship relational information interfirm level exchange relations perspective model paper interpersonal expertise theory study effects literature role social identify