How do personality traits shape information-sharing behaviour in social media? Exploring the mediating effect of generalized trust

Introduction. Personality and trust have been found to be important precursors of information-sharing behaviour, but little is known about how these factors interact with each other in shaping information-sharing behaviour. By integrating both trust and user personality into a unified research framework, this study examines how trust mediates the effect of personality traits (specifically, agreeableness and conscientiousness) in triggering information-sharing behaviour in an online social networking environment. Method. Integrating the Big Five theory of personality and the theory of generalised trust, a research framework is proposed for the determinants of information-sharing behaviour on social media. Data about personality, trust, and information sharing were collected from Chinese youths through an online survey. Analysis. Structural equation modelling was applied to data from 311 valid questionnaires to verify the research framework. Results. Both personality traits and generalised trust have a significant impact on information-sharing behaviour on social media, and generalised trust plays a mediating role between personality traits and information-sharing behaviour. Conclusion. This research advances the understanding of why information is shared within social media contexts with regards to trust and personality traits. It also clarifies the connections between personality traits, information-sharing behaviour on social media, and generalised trust.