NON-DIRECTED SELF-DISCLOSURE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE: Exploring the persistence of interpersonal communication norms

Social exchange via personal blogs challenges traditional norms regarding interpersonal communication due to the typically non-directed nature of self-disclosure inherent in blogging. This study investigates the relationship between bloggers' individual differences in terms of gender, their intended audiences, tendencies towards self-disclosure, and expectations for familiar communication norms such as equitable reciprocity. The results from a survey of 145 bloggers from 32 countries suggest that bloggers' self-disclosure tendencies and their inclination to target their content towards strong-tie networks are positively associated with the adoption of traditional self-disclosure norms when using blogs. Additionally, results indicate that while female bloggers expect others to acknowledge posts to their blogs, they do not feel obligated to acknowledge others' posts.