Table 2.

Research Directions for Pandemic-Related Self-Disclosure on Social Media.

Research Topic	Possible Research Questions
Effects on and of Self-Disclosure	1How does the information disclosed before a pandemic compare to that disclosed during a pandemic? 2How does the decision of outside-in disclosures differ from inside-out disclosures during a pandemic? 3What factors influence one’s propensity to self-disclose on social media during a pandemic? 4What are the relative impacts of self-focus and other-focus antecedents on pandemic-related self-disclosures on social media? 5What are the outcomes of pandemic-related self-disclosures on social media? 6What are the enduring effects of a pandemic on online self-disclosures?
Socially Responsible and Appropriate Disclosures	1What kinds of disclosures are considered inappropriate since the pandemic began? 2What influence does social responsibility have on the perceived sensitivity of self-disclosures? 3How are hedonic self-disclosures viewed during a pandemic? 4What is the impact of social reactions (e.g. shaming, support) on pandemic-related self-disclosure? 5Which perceptions of social responsibility to disclose endure after a pandemic? Which perceptions of socially appropriate disclosures endure after a pandemic?
Emotional Drivers of Negative Evaluations of Disclosures	1Based on another’s self-disclosure, what emotions lead to positive and negative evaluations of that person? 2How do individuals react to different kinds of information shared on social media? How does this differ from before a pandemic? 3What is the effect of negative evaluations on self-disclosive behaviors? 4What kinds of pandemic-related self-disclosures induce envy or aspiration? How do these differ from before a pandemic? 5What kinds of self-disclosures are discouraged during a pandemic due to the fear of negative evaluations by others? How do these differ from before a pandemic?
Mental Wellness during a Pandemic	1What are the impacts of self-disclosure on mental health outcomes during a pandemic? How do these compare with outcomes before the pandemic? 2How does an overflow of pandemic-related self-disclosure affect social media users’ mental wellness? Does it create social media fatigue? 3How do social media users cope with pandemic induced stress and anxiety through self-disclosures? 4How do negative reactions to pandemic-related self-disclosures affect mental health outcomes?
Accessibility of Self-Disclosures	1How has a pandemic affected the way individuals manage others’ access to their content on social media? 2How does attribution (being able to identify who shared the content) affect decisions to disclose during a pandemic? 3How do pandemic-related self-disclosures in private groups differ from those made on public pages? 4How do pandemic-related self-disclosures contribute to the spread of misinformation/disinformation?