Responsible social media use: how user characteristics shape the actualisation of ambiguous affordances

Social media’s dual role as a source of both societal benefits and harms poses significant challenges to its responsible use. While existing literature primarily focuses on organisational and regulatory responsibilities, it sometimes overlooks individual user responsibility. This paper develops a theoretical framework that suggests user characteristics – specifically, conscientiousness and moral tolerance – are key moderators in the responsible (or irresponsible) actualisation of social media’s ambiguous affordances. Grounded in virtue ethics, the framework maintains that four archetypal user characters – narcissist, dogmatist, nihilist, and altruist – shape how social media affordances are actualised. Our work contributes to the Information Systems (IS) literature by adding a nuanced understanding of how responsible use shapes and is shaped by social media users and the sociotechnical context. The framework offers a basis for future research to examine the interaction between user characteristics, affordance ambiguity, and responsible social media use, underscoring the need for technocentric and sociocentric design interventions to promote responsible use.