Consumer Disclosure

Abstract

As technological advances enable consumers to share more information in unprecedented ways, today’s disclosure takes on a variety of new forms, triggering a paradigm shift in what “disclosure” entails. This review introduces two factors to conceptualize consumer disclosure: how (i.e., actively versus passively) and between whom (i.e., consumers and/or firms) disclosure occurs. We begin by exploring the drivers of active disclosure occurring in both social and commercial contexts: characteristics of (1) the discloser, (2) the situation in which the disclosure occurs, (3) the information being disclosed, and (4) others. Additionally, we review the limited but growing research on passive disclosure by focusing on (1) inferences observers make based on passively shared information, and (2) expectations disclosers have regarding the use and collection of passively shared information. Because the current understanding of passive disclosure is limited, we also outline what we see as fruitful avenues of future research. We conclude by pointing out what we perceive as key managerial insights.