Steven R. Brunner

What can we learn about social network sites by studying Facebook? A call and recommendations for research on social network sites

The substantial growth in research examining social network sites (SNSs) during recent years makes this an opportune time to reflect on the state of SNS scholarship. In this review, we consider what—in the form of specific brands—has been studied. A content-analysis of SNS research published in six interdisciplinary journals between 1997 and 2013 is first reported to better understand the degree to which studies published in these journals have examined various SNS brands (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, Cyworld, Hyves). The results show that more than two-thirds of SNS studies were explicitly limited to a single brand and that Facebook was the brand examined in approximately 80% of these studies. Five implications of this trend are then discussed as potentially limiting what can be learned in aggregate from such a body of SNS scholarship. The review concludes with recommendations for future research on SNSs.

The Outcomes of Broadcasting Self-Disclosure Using New Communication Technologies Responses to Disclosure Vary Across One’s Social Network

Several new communication technologies have made it relatively easy for individuals to broadcast a single self-disclosure directly to almost everyone with whom they share a relationship—ranging from close friends to little-known acquaintances. Drawing from research on self-disclosure and the negativity effect, two studies were conducted to test the notion that the interpersonal and relational outcomes of broadcasting positive and negative self-disclosures are not uniform. The results of the cross-sectional survey offer evidence that the outcomes of positive and negative broadcasted disclosures vary depending on the receiver’s relationship with the discloser. The results from the experiment largely support the negativity effect explanation for differences in the outcomes of broadcasted disclosures. Relative to positive disclosures, negative broadcasted self-disclosures have a significantly greater impact on acquaintances than on friends’ perceptions of the discloser and their relationship.

Self-disclosure and new communication technologies The implications of receiving superficial self-disclosures from friends

The reported study examined the implications of receiving superficial self-disclosures from a friend. A total of 199 adults reported on communication episodes initiated by a friend during the previous 7 days via five communication technologies and completed measures of liking, relationship satisfaction, and willingness to provide social support to their friend. The results revealed significant interactions between the total volume of self-disclosures received and proportion of superficial disclosures for liking and relationship satisfaction. Among respondents who received a relatively greater volume of self-disclosures, the proportion of superficial disclosures received was inversely associated with relationship satisfaction and liking. Perceived costs mediated the preceding relationships.

Negative body talk as an outcome of friends’ fitness posts on social networking sites: body surveillance and social comparison as potential moderators

ABSTRACT A sample of 488 male and female young adults completed an online survey in effort to explore whether social networking sites (SNSs) are a way in which sociocultural influences regarding body image are propagated. Negative body talk was predicted as an outcome to frequent exposure to friends’ fitness posts (e.g. pictures and status updates about working out, fitness inspiration quotations/images, etc.); we also explored whether this relationship was moderated by body surveillance and social comparison. Results revealed that friends’ fitness posts were positively associated with negative body talk, and this relationship was strongest for individuals who reported a higher tendency to compare themselves to others – even after controlling for body satisfaction, healthy eating and exercise behaviors, and frequency of SNS use.

To Reveal or Conceal: Using Communication Privacy Management Theory to Understand Disclosures in the Workplace:

A sample of 103 full-time employees from various organizations and industries completed an online, open-ended survey to explore and understand the decisions people make to manage their private disclosures at work. Communication privacy management theory was used to understand the management of private information. Results indicate that core and catalyst criteria motivate people to reveal/conceal at work, such as boundary maintenance based on organizational culture, relational considerations, a desire for feedback, and risk/benefit considerations. People also used implicit/explicit rules, reiteration of privacy rules, and retaliation to limit and respond to turbulence. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed along with limitations and directions for future research.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) and social support Testing the effects of using CMC on support outcomes

Despite the growth in research examining the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for exchanging social support, there remains much to learn about the support-related implications of CMC. An experiment was conducted to examine the influence of the reduced social cues associated with CMC on the outcomes of supportive interaction. Participants discussed a stressor with a confederate either face-to-face or via CMC and received informational or emotional support. Although they received the exact same support messages, participants in the CMC condition reported significantly greater worry and uncertainty discrepancy following the interaction than participants in the face-to-face condition. A main effect was also found for support message type. Consistent with the optimal matching model, informational support led to more beneficial outcomes than emotional support in response to the (controllable) stressor experienced by participants.

The Great Whoosh: Connecting an Online Personal Health Narrative and Communication Privacy Management.

This research study examined Bud Goodall’s online health narrative as a case study through the use of a thematic analysis to investigate the presence of communication privacy management (CPM) theory. Emergent themes of humor as a privacy management strategy, legitimization of co-owners, shifting privacy rules at end of life, and metaphors as privacy protection were used to recount Goodall’s cancer experience on his personal blog, connecting to the components of CPM. The themes the authors analyzed represent the push–pull dialectical tension experienced to reveal and conceal information, conceptualization of private information, shared boundaries, and boundary linkages.