Why disclose personal information online?Privacy and FaceWork on Chinese Social Media

Abstract

<p>Sociological theories have been developed in the Western context, where privacy is considered a primary individual legal right and equality is assumed between those interacting. In China, face, hierarchy, and interpersonal harmony have more precedence. Based on in-depth interviews and online observations of users of WeChat, the most popular social networking service in China, this study examines how face in Chinese culture influences disclosure on social media. Findings reveal that the more closed and private setting for sharing information on WeChat often lead to the fact that personal, possibly sensitive, information is shared with a wider unintended audience. The strategies of self-presentation, including how much to disclose and when to comment, are based on careful determination of relative status of and relationship between the online user and other parties involved. Chinese social media users’ online disclosure are related to the socialbiographical situations faced by the individual at a given point in his/her life course, immediate offline network structures, and consideration of confirming the face of others and relationship maintenance.<br></p>