Privacy policies and user self-disclosure in social media: the mediating effect of social media trust

With the increasing adoption of social media platforms, privacy concerns and self-disclosure behaviours have attracted much attention in academic and business circles. Based on the antecedent-privacy concern-outcome (APCO) model of privacy concerns, this study develops a moderated mediation model to examine the mechanisms by which social media privacy policies (including both dimensions of privacy policy understanding and perceived effectiveness) influence self-disclosure. To test the model, this study used a deductive approach with a quantitative research design. Data were collected from social media users through a self-reported questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the research model and hypotheses. The results of this study show that trust in social media mediates the relationship between privacy policy and self-disclosure, and that privacy cost moderates the relationship between privacy policy and trust in social media. Moreover, the relationship between privacy policies and self-disclosure is not a simple linear model, but a complex multilinear model with a mediated effect. This study provides empirical evidence for understanding the effects of social media privacy policies on self-disclosure and the factors that contribute to users' self-disclosure decisions on social media platforms.