ABSTRACT

Online dating platforms pose novel challenges for personal privacy, self-disclosure, and uncertainty management. Emerging evidence suggests that LGBTQ+ users may be especially impacted by issues like personal privacy and misrepresentation online. LGBTQ+ identity disclosure is often fraught with pressures related to stigma, fear of accidental disclosure to unintended, undesired audiences, and the possibility of facing harassment and violence. How these identity concerns may manifest in uncertainty reduction strategies in online dating contexts has not yet been examined. To understand this relationship, we replicated and extended precious work examining self-disclosure concerns and uncertainty reduction strategies when online dating with a focus on LGBTQ+ users. Participants were surveyed on the amount of personal information they disclosed, the uncertainty reduction strategies they used, and concerns about disclosure. We found that use of uncertainty reduction strategies was predicted by concerns of personal security, misrepresentation of communication partners, and the possibility of being recognized. We also found that using these strategies predicted the frequency of specific self-disclosure in online dating situations. These findings support the value in continuing to understand the ways in which online information sharing and relationship development are influenced by social identity.

摘要

在线约会平台对个人隐私、自我披露和不确定性管理提出了新的挑战。新出现的证据表明，LGBTQ+ 用户可能尤其受到个人隐私和网上虚假陈述等问题的影响。LGBTQ+ 身份披露往往充满与耻辱相关的压力、担心意外向不受欢迎的受众披露信息以及面临骚扰和暴力的可能性。这些身份问题如何在在线约会环境中的不确定性减少策略中体现出来尚未得到研究。为了理解这种关系，我们复制并扩展了宝贵的工作，研究在线约会时的自我披露问题和减少不确定性的策略，重点关注 LGBTQ+ 用户。对参与者披露的个人信息量进行了调查，他们使用的减少不确定性的策略以及对披露的担忧。我们发现，不确定性减少策略的使用是由对个人安全、沟通伙伴的虚假陈述以及被认可的可能性的担忧所预测的。我们还发现，使用这些策略可以预测在线约会情况下特定自我表露的频率。这些发现支持继续了解社会身份影响在线信息共享和关系发展的方式的价值。我们还发现，使用这些策略可以预测在线约会情况下特定自我表露的频率。这些发现支持继续了解社会身份影响在线信息共享和关系发展的方式的价值。我们还发现，使用这些策略可以预测在线约会情况下特定自我表露的频率。这些发现支持继续了解社会身份影响在线信息共享和关系发展的方式的价值。