Explaining Chinese ethnic minority adolescents’ self-disclosure on social media with fsQCA: gender differences, platform swinging and intercultural friendship

Abstract

This study extends adolescent self-disclosure research by focusing on ethnic minority adolescents in western China, examining their self-disclosure behaviors at the intersection of minority, gender, and adolescent triple identities. Drawing on focus group interviews with 50 ethnic minority adolescents, this study employs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify the complex configurations that contribute to high levels of self-disclosure. The study reveals that ethnic minority adolescents’ self-disclosure is shaped by the intersection of cultural discipline, gender norms, and youth-specific traits. Gender differences influence both the content and authenticity of disclosures, with minority females often disclosing strategically rather than out of personal choice. In ethnic contexts, adolescents adjust their disclosure strategies for impression management, sometimes sacrificing expressive completeness. Their cultural knowledge, as a form of non-dominant cultural capital, is strategically mobilized online to strengthen identity and foster intercultural friendship. Overall, the study extends self-disclosure theory by highlighting its cultural and gender embeddedness, demonstrates fsQCA’s explanatory power for digital behaviors through intersectional perspectives, and expands the dynamic role of cultural capital among marginalized groups.