Why do Tweeters regret sharing? Impacts of Twitter users' perception of sharing risk, perceived problems on Twitter, and the motivation of use on their behavior of regret sharing

TL;DR

This study analyzes how Twitter users' perceptions of sharing risks, problems, and their motivations influence their regret after sharing, revealing that motivations and perceived risks significantly affect regret likelihood.

Contribution

It identifies specific motivations and perceived risks that influence Twitter users' regret, using secondary survey data and logistic regression analysis.

Findings

Expressing opinions increases regret odds by 2.1 times.

Perceived hostility and visibility risks decrease regret likelihood.

Perceived misinformation problems are linked to lower regret.

Abstract

This study presents a secondary data analysis of the survey data collected as part of the American Trends Panel series by the Pew Research Center. A logistic regression was performed to ascertain the effects of the perceived risk of sharing, perceived problems on Twitter, and motivation of using Twitter on the likelihood that participants regret sharing on Twitter. The logistic regression model was statistically significant, \c{hi}2(15) = 102.5, p < .001. The model correctly classified 78.5 percent of cases. Whether or not Twitter users regret sharing on Twitter depends on different motivations for using Twitter. We observe that "A way to express my opinion" is statistically significant in the mod-el, indicating that the odds of Twitter users regretting sharing for this motivation is 2.1 times higher than that of entertainment. Perceived risks of potential hostility and visibility were negatively associated with an increased likelihood of regret sharing. In contrast, perceived problems on Twitter concerning misinformation were negatively associated with the likelihood of regret sharing.