Abstract

Research indicates privacy needs of individuals in social media environments vary by the context of interaction, as well as age and gender, and individuals use social media affordances to support privacy goals and reduce overlap in relational circles. We examine the relationship between affordances, disclosures, and cultural background, using an ecological perspective to understand how social media affordances can facilitate interactional privacy behaviors. We posit that space and the affordances of social media play a key role in an ecological understanding of online social interaction. Designing social media spaces that allow individuals to perceive, experience, and engage with affordances to regulate and control their social interaction and behaviors enhances the goals of social media by facilitating

Keywords: Privacy; social media; ecological; affordances; disclosures