The Blog Effect: The Distressed Anticipation Response
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Abstract
In a study of emotional reactions to self-disclosure online, 81 undergraduates participated in a 40-minute online exposure to posts taken from either painful or positive popular blogs, and participants' affect was measured pre- and post- exposure. As hypothesized, blog readers’ emotional reactions to the painful blogs did not conform to the traditional "positive" vs. "negative" affect distinction. Rather, these participants reacted with distressed anticipation, which might attract individuals to painful self-disclosure rather than repel them from it. These results may shed light on the reason behind the attraction people feel towards painful personal information publicly shared in social media.
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