The Role of Social Media in Shaping Privacy Perceptions: Online and Offline Self-Disclosure among WeChat Users
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Abstract
Drawing on the Cultivation Theory and the Stressor–Strain–Outcome (S-S-O) Model, this study aims to examine the connections among WeChat use, privacy perception, perceived privacy threats, perceived governmental support for privacy protection, privacy concern, privacy fatigue, and online and offline self-disclosure. A cross-sectional survey with self-administered questionnaire was conducted with 522 adult WeChat users in China and Thailand. Hypothesis testing based on Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) reveal that WeChat use, privacy perception, perceived privacy threats, perceived government support for privacy protection, privacy concern, privacy fatigue and online and offline self-disclosure are all positively related. WeChat use positively correlates with privacy perception, perceived privacy threats and perceived governmental support for privacy protection. Privacy perception positively predicted perceived privacy threats, but neither directly predicted online or offline self-disclosure. Perceived privacy threats are a more direct cause, and are positively associated with privacy concern, privacy fatigue, and both types of self-disclosure. Privacy concern was positively correlated with online self-disclosure, and privacy fatigue was also positively related to both online and offline self-disclosure. Perceived governmental support for privacy protection positively related to offline self-disclosure but did not directly predict online self-disclosure. And it reduced the impact of the perceived privacy threat on privacy concerns. Accordingly, the phenomenon of privacy-related behaviors on WeChat cannot be explained by the mere knowledge of privacy. Under the condition of a super-app, the reasons for a person's self-disclosure are more numerous and include threats to the self, threats, concern, etc., as well as institutional support. This study made a new academic contribution on privacy, different platforms of self-disclosure, and social media by revealing that perceived privacy threats may occur simultaneously with continuous self-disclosure, and the different paths by which privacy-related factors affect online and offline self-disclosure have been distinguished.
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