Abstract
AbstractPrivacy is a psychological topic suffering from historical neglect—a neglect that is increasingly consequential in an era of social media connectedness, mass surveillance, and the permanence of our electronic footprint. Despite fundamental changes in the privacy landscape, social and personality psychology journals remain largely unrepresented in debates on the future of privacy. By contrast, in disciplines like computer science and media and communication studies, engaging directly with sociotechnical developments, interest in privacy has grown considerably. In our review of this interdisciplinary literature, we suggest four domains of interest to psychologists. These are as follows: sensitivity to individual differences in privacy disposition, a claim that privacy is fundamentally based in social interactions, a claim that privacy is inherently contextual, and a suggestion that privacy is as much about psychological groups as it is about individuals. Moreover, we propose a framework to enable progression to more integrative models of the psychology of privacy in the digital age and in particular suggest that a group and social relations–based approach to privacy is needed.
Highlights
Recent developments in political, technological, and social domains are leading to a direct challenge to our ability to exercise privacy
Privacy concerns selective control and withdrawal from transactions with others and others' transactions with us; sometimes, transactions are technologically mediated, but privacy is inherent to individual well-being and to understanding the dynamics of social relations (Altman, 1974; Anthony et al, 2017; Westin, 2003)
The review of the literature and framework we have suggested is intended as a guide towards filling in the gaps in existing privacy theory
Summary
TITLE The psychology of privacy in the digital age AUTHORS Stuart, A; Bandara, AK; Levine, M JOURNAL Social and Personality Psychology Compass DEPOSITED IN ORE 09 September 2019. COPYRIGHT AND REUSE Open Research Exeter makes this work available in accordance with publisher policies. A NOTE ON VERSIONS The version presented here may differ from the published version. You are advised to consult the published version for pagination, volume/issue and date of publication. The psychology of privacy in the digital age Avelie Stuart1 | Arosha K. Funding information Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Grant/Award Numbers: EP/K033433/1, EP/R013144/1
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