How do audiences perceive communicators’ vulnerable self-disclosures online, especially when communicators claim to have bounced back from past setbacks? Some scholars posit that disclosing vulnerability allows communicators to reveal core aspects of themselves and signal trust/liking towards an audience, thereby accruing greater perceived authenticity and favorable interpersonal outcomes. Others argue disclosing vulnerability is performative and aimed at giving the illusion of authenticity. Study 1 showed that communicators who disclosed past vulnerability alongside current success engendered greater perceived authenticity than communicators who disclosed only current success. Greater perceived authenticity engendered greater social and task attraction. Study 2 added two conditions: (i) disclosing mild past vulnerability alongside current success and (ii) disclosing current vulnerability. Communicators who only disclosed current vulnerability had greatest perceived authenticity, but low task attraction. Additionally, communicators who disclosed mild past vulnerabilities and current success accrued greater task attraction than communicators who disclosed only vulnerability or only success. • How should people promote themselves on social media (or specifically, LinkedIn)? • People can disclose past vulnerabilities to make themselves appear more authentic. • However, such disclosures should be limited to mild vulnerabilities. • Disclosing intense vulnerabilities makes people appear incompetent at their work.
Lew et al. (Sun,) studied this question.