Exploring social media users’ disclosures of negative information during the COVID-19 infodemic: the moderating role of personality traits

Purpose During the COVID-19 pandemic, an infodemic erupted on social media, leading to a surge in negative disclosure behaviors such as expressing dissatisfaction and releasing negative emotions. By extending the elaboration likelihood model and the Big Five personality theory to the domain of online self-disclosure, we aimed to identify the factors that influence negative disclosure behavior. Design/methodology/approach We investigated how the features of negative information content, information sources and recipients’ social perceptions influence how social media users disclose negative information. We also examined the moderating roles of personality traits in this process. To validate the model and test our hypotheses, we collected cross-sectional data from 456 social media users. Findings Empirical results reveal that (1) information overload, topic relevance, attractiveness of information sources, peer approval of negative disclosure and social influence on negative information strengthen the intention to disclose negative information. (2) The perception of social risk weakens the intention to disclose negative information. (3) Openness to experience, extraversion and neuroticism strengthen the relationship between the intention to disclose negative information and actual disclosure behavior. Originality/value Our results not only provide new perspectives on the decision-making mechanisms behind negative disclosure behavior but also extend personality research within the context of the dissemination of negative information. Furthermore, it offers insights into negative information dissemination on social media platforms, with significant implications for various stakeholders.