The role of culture in privacy management on social media among emerging adult children and their parents

This study extends Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory and prior privacy research to investigate the impact of culture on the way college-age children manage privacy boundaries with respect to their parents in social media. Differences in how American domestic students, Chinese international students who study in the U.S., and Chinese domestic students were examined via a survey administered at universities in both countries. Including international students afforded a unique opportunity to study privacy management during cultural socialization. Results reveal significant differences among the three populations in how they manage their privacy with regard to their parents in social media. For example, Chinese students disclose more information to their parents in social media and Chinese international students employ more strategies to protect their privacy than either Chinese or American domestic students. Implications of the results for future research on privacy management in social media among family members, and for social media platforms to help users better protect their privacy, are discussed.