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Abstract
This paper reports on a study designed to explore individual differences in uncertainty-reducing behavior regarding new and existing friends via online information seeking (OIS). Personality traits and social context were measured by surveying a sample of 377 Facebook users. Global uncertainty had a positive relationship with active information seeking about new friends, whereas communication apprehension was associated with seeking information about existing friends. The geographic proximity of close friends and family did not affect information-seeking behavior, but those with larger strong tie networks spent more time seeking information online and were happier. These results suggest that psychological traits served as strong motives for uncertainty-reducing behavior like active OIS.
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