A study of self-disclosure during the Coronavirus pandemic

Authors

  • Taylor Blose Pennsylvania State University
  • Prasanna Umar Pennsylvania State University
  • Anna Squicciarini Pennsylvania State University
  • Sarah Rajtmajer Pennsylvania State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v26i7.11555

Abstract

We study observed incidence of self-disclosure in a large set of tweets representing user-led English-language conversation about the Coronavirus pandemic. Using an unsupervised approach to detect voluntary disclosure of personal information, we provide early evidence that situational factors surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic may impact individuals’ privacy calculus. Text analyses reveal topical shift toward supportiveness and support-seeking in self-disclosing conversation on Twitter. We run a comparable analysis of tweets from Hurricane Harvey to provide context for observed effects and suggest opportunities for further study.

Author Biographies

Taylor Blose, Pennsylvania State University

Ph.D. student in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Pennsylvania State University

Prasanna Umar, Pennsylvania State University

Ph.D. student in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at that Pennsylvania State University

Anna Squicciarini, Pennsylvania State University

Associate professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Pennsylvania State University

Sarah Rajtmajer, Pennsylvania State University

Assistant professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Pennsylvania State University

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Published

2021-06-21

How to Cite

Blose, T., Umar, P., Squicciarini, A., & Rajtmajer, S. (2021). A study of self-disclosure during the Coronavirus pandemic. First Monday, 26(7). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v26i7.11555