Privacy antecedents for SNS self-disclosure: The case of Facebook

• Social networking sites privacy issues and self-disclosure are examined.
• A research model of privacy issues and self-disclosure is built.
• Structural equations modeling is used to assess the model fit.
• Path analysis is done to analyze hypothesis whereas 11 out of 14 are accepted.
• Final model shows privacy and its shaping of self-disclosure in Facebook.

In recent years, social networking sites have spread rapidly, raising new issues in terms of privacy and self-disclosure online. For a better understanding of how privacy issues determine self-disclosure, a model which includes privacy awareness, privacy social norms, privacy policy, privacy control, privacy value, privacy concerns and self-disclosure was built. A total of 661 respondents participated in an online survey and a structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the model. The findings indicated a significant relationship between privacy value/privacy concerns and self-disclosure, privacy awareness and privacy concerns/self-disclosure, privacy social norms and privacy value/self-disclosure, privacy policy and privacy value/privacy concerns/self-disclosure, privacy control and privacy value/privacy concerns. The model from the study should contribute new knowledge concerning privacy issues and their shaping of self-disclosure on social networking sites. It could also help networking sites service providers understand how to encourage users to disclose more information.