Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Grounded in social penetration theory and social capital theory, this study aims to investigate how social media self-disclosure influences bridging and bonding online social capital, and how these in turn affect users' loneliness and online interpersonal trust. A moderated mediation model was proposed and tested using cross-sectional survey data collected from 1519 Chinese netizens. Regression analyses revealed that self-disclosure on social media positively predicted both types of online social capital. Bridging social capital mediated the relationship between self-disclosure and reduced loneliness, while bonding social capital mediated the link between self-disclosure and enhanced online interpersonal trust. Moreover, agreeableness moderated the effect of self-disclosure on bonding social capital. These findings enrich the theoretical understanding of online self-disclosure and reveal the underlying motivations for users to disclose personal information on social media, even in the context of the privacy paradox.
Source: Behavioral Sciences
DOI: 10.3390/bs15040547
Authors: Qiyu Bai, Qi Dan, Yumin Choi, Siyang Luo
Institutions: Peking University, Sun Yat-sen University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,654
Awards: G1947339891, G3114819178, G5134733955
OpenAlex ID: W4409606334