Investigating Effects of Monetary Reward on Information Disclosure by Online Social Networks Users

Given the strategic value of social networking sites (SNSs), we investigate how the offer of a monetary reward (MR) in exchange for information can increase users´ willingness to disclose, and thus help maintain stability of the SNS business model. We analyze results from a questionnaire administered to over 300 Chinese participants belonging to varying age, gender and occupational groups. Our results show that the level of willingness to share personal information (WTSPI) depends on the type of information being requested, and that WTSPI is higher when users are offered a MR than not. We also showed that the offer of a MR promoted willingness to share existing information and add new information more than willingness to share false data. Furthermore, users´ willingness to disclose various elements of personal information was found to be affected by different factors in each case, including demographic characteristics, SNS usage habits, and attitudes towards privacy.