Relationship breakup disclosures and media ideologies on Facebook

Abstract

After relationship breakups, people must make difficult decisions about whether and how to convey this change in a networked environment. To understand and characterize behaviors around breakup disclosures, we analyzed survey responses from 119 US Facebook users who reported experiencing a recent breakup. Using mixed methods, we find that those perceiving Facebook as a more efficient disclosure medium are more likely to announce breakups. We show how media ideologies around Facebook breakup disclosures vary; yet people assume others hold similar beliefs about what is appropriate. We contribute to self-disclosure and online identity literature by identifying two new ways people engage in disclosure and self-presentation on social media: announcements, which highlight how social media can serve as efficient one-to-many disclosure sources, and private status change behaviors, a reflexive means of self-presentation. Understanding breakup disclosures provides insight into designing social media to better enable users to find support during difficult life transitions.