Self-Regulation of Internet Behaviors on Social Media Platforms

The current research sought a comprehensive understanding about the consequences of information-sharing behavior on social media, given public concerns about privacy violations. We used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the influence of the self on “revealing” and emotional “healing” experiences online. Respondents completed a survey measuring sense of self and motivations for using social media, as well as revealing and healing attitudes and behavior. We conducted a principal component factor analysis on separate parts of the survey and ran Pearson correlations of the emerging factors. Qualitative data describing experiences of online self-disclosure were used to illustrate the correlational findings. The “revealing” factors contrasted adaptive with maladaptive and naïve posting. The sense of self, as well as motivations for social media use, influenced whether users engaged in destructive posting behaviors. The “healing” factors were associated with positive motivations for self-disclosure, seeking a supportive online community, and building resilience. Correlational data revealed that respondents with an insecure or asocial sense of self felt the greater need for online self-disclosure. Motivations to self-disclose online and experiences of “healing”, with the help of a supportive online community, depended on whether the sense of self was secure, insecure, or asocial.