The Link Between Privacy and Disclosure Behavior in Social Networks

Based on the antecedent-privacy concern-outcome (APCO) model of privacy concerns, this study developed a moderated mediation model to investigate the mechanisms by which social media privacy policies (including both privacy policy understanding and perceived effectiveness dimensions) influence self-disclosure. The model was tested in this study using a deductive approach and a quantitative research strategy. In this study, a self-reported questionnaire was used to collect information from social media users. To test the research model and hypotheses, we used multiple regression analysis. According to the results of this study, trust in social media mediated the relationship between privacy policy and self-disclosure, while privacy costs moderated the relationship between privacy policy and trust in social media. Furthermore, the link between privacy policy and self-disclosure is a complex multicollinear model with mediating effects rather than a simple linear model.