Risky Business: Disclosures of Risky Behavior Among Emerging Adults in the Digital Age

Abstract

Communication within peer networks can encourage or discourage health risk behaviors among emerging adults, such as binge drinking and sexual hookups. This research considers how emerging adults respond to disclosure of risky behavior from friends depending on the medium for disclosure. College students reported on risk disclosures received when interacting over rich media (e.g., face-to-face, phone, video chat) or lean media (e.g., texting, e-mail, instant messaging). Students showed less concern for managing identity and emotive impacts of the interaction when communicating via lean media, and they responded by disconfirming the disclosure if they privately disapproved. By contrast, responses to risk disclosure via rich media were characterized by greater goal complexity and did not relate to private approval/disapproval of risky behavior.