ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Communication privacy management theory

Imagine you have a diary that you write all of your secrets in. You don't want anyone else to read it because it has personal information about you that you don't want to share. That's kind of like what communication privacy management theory is all about.

Communication privacy management theory is a fancy way of saying that people have control over who they share information with and how much they share. It's based on the idea that people's private information is important to them and they have the right to keep it private.

Think of it this way: You have different levels of privacy with different people in your life. You might be willing to tell your best friend a secret, but not your entire class. You might be okay sharing some information with your parents, but not with your siblings. This theory helps us to understand how people decide what information to keep private and who to share it with.

It's kind of like a castle with a moat around it. You get to decide who can come inside and who can't. You might invite your friends over to play in the castle, but not strangers. And you might only let your closest friends inside the castle, but not others.

Communication privacy management theory is important because it helps us understand how people create boundaries around their personal information. By respecting those boundaries, we can build stronger and more trusting relationships with others.
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