Embarrassing Exposure in Online Social Networks: Privacy Invasion and Relationship Bonding

People will feel uneasy if private embarrassing information about them is exposed in online social networks. While individuals are generally prudent in controlling access to their embarrassing information, such control is fundamentally challenged when the embarrassing information is co-owned with others. Drawing on the social exchange framework as the overarching theory, this paper examines the effects of information dissemination and network mutuality on perceived privacy invasion as well as perceived relationship bonding and how these perceptions shape individuals’ behavioral responses to an embarrassing exposure (i.e., inaction, avoidance, and approach). The results of a laboratory experiment involving 109 subjects provide strong evidence that information dissemination and network mutuality jointly influence individuals’ perceived privacy invasion and perceived relationship bonding. In addition, while perceived privacy invasion encourages transactional avoidance, it discourages approach behavior. Further, whereas perceived relationship bonding impedes both transactional avoidance and interpersonal avoidance, it leads to approach behavior. Overall, this study contributes to the IS literature by deepening the understanding of individuals’ behavioral response to embarrassing exposures triggered by others’ revelation.

Zhenhui (Jack) Jiang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems and Director of Centre for Collaborative Media and Technologies in National University of Singapore. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in management information systems from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and Master’s and Bachelor degrees from Tsinghua University, Beijing. His research interests include the design and evaluation of social media, electronic commerce, online social network, and information privacy. His work has been published in top information systems journals, such as MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, and Journal of Management Information Systems.

Dr. Jiang is serving as the Associate Editor of MIS Quarterly, Journalof the Association for Information Systems, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. He was previously on the editorial boards of AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction and Journal of Database Management.