The Closing Educational Gap in E-privacy Management in European Perspective

Angelica M Maineri,Ruud Luijkx,Peter Achterberg

doi:10.1177/13607804211023524

Angelica M Maineri, Ruud Luijkx + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/13607804211023524

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Abstract

Educational gaps are increasingly salient as skills and knowledge gain prominence in digital societies. E-privacy management, namely, the ability to control the flow of information about the self, is an important asset nowadays, since a skillful use of digital technologies enables full participation in social life and limits the exposure to unwarranted algorithmic processes. We investigate whether and why education affects e-privacy management, and whether the educational gaps vary following a country’s degree of digitalization. We empirically test two sets of mechanisms, one derived from the digital divide and diffusion of innovations theories and the other from the reflexive modernization theory. The study employs Eurobarometer 87.1 data ( N = 21,177), collected in 2017 among representative samples from 28 European countries, and uses multilevel linear regression model. Findings suggest that the years spent in education positively affect e-privacy management, and that this effect is largely mediated by digital skills and Internet use, and to a lesser extent by a reflexive mind-set. The educational gap in e-privacy management narrows in more digitalized countries.

Highlights

Due to the centrality of knowledge and information in contemporary societies, education has become a powerful indicator of social position (Bovens and Wille, 2017)
While previous studies often focused on disclosure behaviors and/or management of privacy settings on social networking sites (SNSs; for example, Bartsch and Dienlin, 2016; boyd and Hargittai, 2010; Debatin et al, 2009; Litt, 2013b; Litt and Hargittai, 2014; Park, 2018), in this study, inspired by the approach of Büchi et al (2017), we focus on e-privacy management within general Internet use
We tested two potential mechanisms explaining the effect of educational level on e-privacy management, and studied whether this educational gradient varied across more and less digitalized countries

Summary

Introduction

Due to the centrality of knowledge and information in contemporary societies, education has become a powerful indicator of social position (Bovens and Wille, 2017). Whereas the former theory refers to Internet use and digital skills as unevenly distributed resources that could explain differences in e-privacy management, the latter pinpoints the role of knowledge and risks awareness in an increasingly information-intense environment.

Results

Conclusion