Do cultural norms affect social network behavior inappropriateness? A global study

Abstract

There is a substantial body of literature on behavior inappropriateness in face-to-face social settings; however, not much is known about what individuals consider inappropriate (or appropriate) on Internet-mediated social networks. Although online social networks enable the exchange of ideas between and among geographically and culturally diverse individuals, cultural differences across countries will likely affect individuals' perceived appropriateness of social network behaviors. To better understand this phenomenon, this study proposes a new construct of social network behavior inappropriateness (SNBI) and tests its relationship with a recently proposed national cultural dimension of personal-sexual attitudes, which captures country-level cultural norms.