When Self-Expression via Information Sharing Affects Health Behavior Intentions: The Role of Anticipated Feedback and the Audience’s Relevance to the Issue

With the prevalence of information sharing on social media and growing interest in the self-effects of online expressive behaviors, this study examined the self-influence of health information sharing when users added self-generated comments reflecting personal commitment to the content and explored potential moderators. The results of an online experiment (N = 554) showed that this self-expressive sharing enhanced relevant health self-concept, which in turn increased intentions to adopt the relevant behavior. Moreover, when sharers anticipated positive feedback from an audience highly relevant to the focal issue in the shared information, they developed more positive attitudes toward the recommended behavior than when they anticipated negative feedback from the same audience. The findings advance understanding of the impact of self-expression through information sharing and provide practical guidance for health campaigns.