A Study On Privacy Perception And Self-disclosure Behavior Of WeChat User

In the era of digital survival,the issue of user information security is not only about the construction of China’s network and information security and the high-quality development of the digital economy,but also about the safety of individuals’ lives and properties and their information disclosure in online platforms.Studies related to privacy concerns have found that users usually disclose personal information on social networking sites even though they are aware of the privacy risks.In the presence of high privacy concerns,why does information disclosure still occur?Most of the existing explanations are based on privacy computing theory,social exchange theory,and communication privacy management theory.These studies are all based on the assumption of rational economic man and cannot explain why users reveal personal information despite the perceived costs outweighing the benefits.Users’ behavior is sometimes irrational,and the explanation of emotional utility for individual choices can further explain the rational assessment phenomenon.In related studies,privacy fatigue,a loss emotion associated with privacy protection,can positively promote self-representation,and thus privacy fatigue can explain the privacy paradox phenomenon of why users disclose a large amount of personal information even though they are highly concerned about privacy.Therefore,this study introduces the variable of privacy fatigue to investigate the effects of privacy concern and privacy fatigue on We Chat users’ self-disclosure behavior.In order to investigate which antecedent variables can influence both privacy concern and privacy fatigue and affect users’ self-disclosure behavior,this study constructs a structural equation model based on social cognitive theory,theory of planned behavior,and the "Cognition-Affect-Conation" paradigm.In particular,this study investigated various antecedents related to users’ privacy perceptions,including online privacy literacy,perceived information control,perceived privacy risk,and social norms of privacy,based on social cognitive theory.In terms of behavioral outcomes arising from privacy concerns,the "Cognition-Affect-Conation" paradigm indicates how users’ perceptions of privacy influence their privacy behaviors.The study finds that "privacy disclosure behavior" is more likely to generate privacy paradoxes than "privacy disclosure willingness",while previous studies on privacy paradoxes have focused on self-disclosure willingness or one single dimension of self-disclosure behavior.Based on previous studies,this study focuses on users’ self-reported self-disclosure behaviors and conceptualizes it into two dimensions: self-disclosure quantity and self-disclosure honesty.Finally,this study introduced the mediating variable of interpersonal trust based on the relational context of We Chat social networking and constructed a structural equation model containing the antecedents and consequences of privacy perception.This study distributed questionnaires through Questionnaire Star,and 382 valid questionnaires were collected,and the data were analyzed with the help of SPSS 22.0 and Mplus 8.0,including descriptive statistical analysis,independent sample t-test,ANOVA,correlation analysis,as well as reliability analysis,confirmatory factor analysis,hypothesis testing,and mediating effect analysis.The study mainly concluded that(1)the existence of privacy paradox:privacy concerns positively promote self-disclosure honesty.(2)Perceived information control can promote self-disclosure by enhancing interpersonal trust.(3)Online privacy literacy can enhance self-disclosure through the mediating effect of privacy concerns.(4)Indirect effects of perceived privacy risk on self-disclosure honesty.(5)Indirect effects of social norms of privacy on self-disclosure behavior.(6)The insignificant effect of privacy fatigue on self-disclosure behavior.By constructing a structural equation model with the privacy disclosure behavior survey data of We Chat users,this paper theoretically explores the factors influencing the privacy disclosure behavior of We Chat users,so as to provide relevant suggestions for optimizing user information access and management in the Internet industry.