Dissertation Defence: Subjective Well-Being on Social Networking Sites: The Role of Self-Disclosure Motivations

Chloe Olivia Briggs, supervised by Dr. Derrick Wirtz, will defend their dissertation titled “Subjective Well-Being on Social Networking Sites: The Role of Self-Disclosure Motivations” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology.

An abstract for Chloe Olivia Briggs’ dissertation is included below.

Examinations are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Registration is not required for in person defences.

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ABSTRACT

The current research used a multi-method research design to examine the impact of self-disclosures and motivations for self-disclosures on SNSs with SWB outcomes (consisting of positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction). Study 1 implements a cross-sectional design to examine relationships at the between-person level. Study 1 also explores the relationship of other variables of interest, including psychological distress, valence of disclosures, and private/public nature of disclosures. Study 2 extends findings from Study 1 using ecological momentary assessment (EMA; Stone et al., 1999) to examine whether within-person variations in self-disclosure and self-disclosure motivations similarly predict changes in subjective well-being over time while participants engage in their normal daily activities. Across both studies, it was found that self-disclosures made on SNSs increase SWB. Further, self-disclosing with the motivations of maintaining or developing relationships, clarifying your identity to yourself and others, and capitalizing on positive experiences all positively impacted well-being across body Study 1 and Study 2. Being motivated to self-disclose on SNSs with the motivations of coping with negative events and impression management had a more mixed relationship with SWB across both studies. Overall, findings suggest that one’s motivations for self-disclosure on SNSs is important when considering the impact of SNSs on well-being.