Information Disclosure in Social Network Websites: Centered on the Effect of Noncognitive Factors

Background: The crucial role of information disclosure in the establishment of social relationships on social networking sites has been predominantly examined from a cognitive perspective. However, this approach often neglects noncognitive factors, despite their significant impact on behavior. This study addresses this gap by exploring the influence of habit and affect as noncognitive factors on information disclosure, drawing on the Theory of Interpersonal Behavior (TIB) and the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM). Method: This research employs a comprehensive model that integrates both noncognitive factors (habit and affect) and cognitive factors (privacy risk) to examine their direct and interactive effects on information disclosure. The study utilizes survey data from social network site users and applies structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses. Results: The findings support the hypothesized negative moderating and bias effects, revealing a substantial direct impact of both habit and positive affect on information disclosure. Specifically, a positive affect mitigates the impact of privacy risk on information disclosure (bias effect), and habit weakens the influence of privacy risk (negative moderating effect). These results underscore the significant role of noncognitive factors and their interaction with cognitive elements in shaping information disclosure behavior. Conclusion: This study highlights the critical influence of habit and affect in the context of social networks, expanding the understanding of information disclosure beyond cognitive evaluations. The implications suggest that future research and practical applications should consider the intricate interdependencies between noncognitive and cognitive factors to more accurately predict and influence information disclosure behaviors.