Sharing happy information: responses and self-portrayal

Introduction. This study examines the information behaviour of individuals when sharing ‘happy’ information. Method. 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with frequent Internet users who share happy information. Analysis. Content analysis of the interviews explored the factors impacting upon the importance of responses, emotional experience of sharing happy information and how people use happy information to portray representations of themselves. Results. We present results on when receiving responses to information sharing are important and when they are not, the factors that lead to differences in information sharing on different platforms and how sharing happy information relates to portrayals of self. Conclusion. This study sheds light on information sharing within casual leisure information environments. It also demonstrates the importance of certain types of response on future information sharing behaviour.

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