Social Exchange Online: Public Conversations in the Blogosphere

Abstract

The increasing popularity of blogs brings the potential to change traditionally agreed upon norms regarding interpersonal communication due to the non-directed nature of self-disclosure inherent in blogging. This exploratory study investigates the relationship between bloggers' intended audience, content characteristics of their posts, and expectations for two primary interpersonal norms: reciprocity and equity. Results suggest bloggers who target their strong tie networks disclose a range of traditionally private, intimate content, and expect their readers to follow traditional interpersonal communication rules.