Use Of Privacy Settings Research Articles

Navigating Privacy Concerns: Social Media Users' Perspectives on Data Sharing

This study aims to explore social media users' perspectives on privacy concerns and data sharing, identifying the major themes that encapsulate their experiences and attitudes towards online privacy and the strategies they employ to protect their personal information. A qualitative research design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 23 social media users from diverse demographic backgrounds. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts, focusing on identifying and interpreting patterns related to privacy concerns and protective behaviors. The analysis revealed five major themes: Understanding of Privacy, Attitudes Towards Data Sharing, Privacy Management Strategies, Impact of Social Media on Privacy, and Future Perspectives on Privacy. Each theme comprised several categories and concepts, including Definitions of Privacy, Privacy Awareness, Willingness to Share, Risks and Benefits, Use of Privacy Settings, Information Disclosure, Avoidance Behaviors, Perceived Threats, Changes in Behavior, Desired Changes, Predictions about Privacy, and User Empowerment. The study highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of social media users' privacy concerns and the strategies they adopt to navigate these challenges. It underscores the importance of developing more intuitive privacy controls and the need for ongoing education on privacy management. The findings also suggest a call for social media platforms and policymakers to consider users' diverse needs and concerns in the development of privacy protection measures.

STUDENTS’ USE OF FACEBOOK PRIVACY SETTINGS: A CASE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Ponte Academic JournalDec 2022, Volume 78, Issue 12 STUDENTS’ USE OF FACEBOOK PRIVACY SETTINGS: A CASE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTSAuthor(s): Irene Govender ,Sakhile MasangoJ. Ponte - Dec 2022 - Volume 78 - Issue 12 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2022.12.8 Abstract:The use of social media is common among most people, especially the young adults. With the rise in social media use, comes the concern of security and privacy. Because of the convenience of connecting with people using the Facebook networking site, personal content is easily posted on Facebook. Young adults are more inclined to post material without thinking of the consequences to their personal lives. The purpose of the study is to determine their use of privacy settings in Facebook. A quantitative approach was followed to gather data from students at a university. Three hundred and seventy-three students responded to the survey. The study was underpinned by the theory of planned behaviour and the restricted access and limited control theory. Four constructs, perceived risk, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control were measured to determine students’ behaviour regarding privacy settings. Perceived risk was found to be a significant factor while perceived behavioural control had the greatest effect on intention to use privacy settings. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

To Post or Not to Post: Does Applicants' Social Media Affect Family Medicine Resident Recruitment?

Current literature on review of applicant social media (SoMe) content for resident recruitment is scarce. With the recent increase in the use of privacy settings, and the cost of the recruitment process, the aim of this study was to describe the practice and outcomes of review of applicant SoMe in resident recruitment and its association with program director or program characteristics. This study was part of the 2020 Council of Academic Family Medicine's Educational Research Alliance (CERA) annual survey of family medicine residency program directors (PDs) in the United States. The overall response rate for the survey was 39.8% (249/626). About 40% of PDs reported reviewing applicant SoMe content. The majority (88.9%) of programs did not inform applicants of their SoMe review practices. The most common findings of SoMe review were that the content raised no concerns (38/94; 40.4%) or was consistent with the application material (34/94; 36.2%). Forty PDs (17.0%) have ever moved an applicant up or down the rank list based on SoMe review. Review of applicant SoMe was not statistically associated with program size, program type, PD age, PD SoMe use, or program SoMe use. SoMe review has not become routine practice in family medicine resident recruitment. The outcome of SoMe review was mostly consistent with the applicant profile without any concerns and only very few changed the ranking order. This calls for more studies to explore the value of SoMe review for resident selection regarding its effect on future performance.

Ephemerality in Social Media: Unpacking the Personal and Social Characteristics of Time Limit Users on WeChat Moments.

Social media platforms increasingly give users the option of ephemerality through settings that delete or hide posted content after a set period of time. Many individuals apply these settings to manage their posting history and, in turn, reduce concerns about self-presentation. Despite the growing popularity of this feature, few studies have empirically explored it. This study examines the Time Limit setting on WeChat Moments as an example and investigates how users using the Time Limit setting differ from nonusers in terms of personal characteristics (demographics, personality traits, psychological factors, and previous behavioral patterns) and social characteristics (audience size and audience diversity). Compared with nonusers, users using Time Limit setting scored significantly higher on posting frequency and privacy setting use and scored significantly lower on audience size. We also examine how personal and social characteristics vary between user groups with different degrees of ephemerality (i.e., low, medium, or high). Our findings show that users using the Time Limit setting who scored higher on measures of life changes, self-monitoring, posting frequency, and audience size and lower on perceived stress were more likely to opt for the low (i.e., 6months) rather than the medium (i.e., 1month) or high (i.e., 3days) degree of ephemerality. Our work contributes to the understanding of ephemerality settings on social media platforms and provides insights that help practitioners design more effective platforms.

Understanding the Antecedents and Outcomes of Facebook Privacy Behaviors: An Integrated Model

Privacy in online social networking (OSN) is more complex than in traditional online environments, such as e-commerce. In addition to simply limiting self-disclosure, OSN users can also use privacy settings and manage their network size to ensure privacy. This complexity calls for an enhanced OSN privacy model that more completely explains privacy behaviors. Combining the privacy calculus model with part of the uses and gratifications approach, this paper proposes an OSN privacy model that depicts both antecedents (i.e., privacy concern, trusting beliefs, and personal interest) and outcomes (i.e., gratifications obtained) of perceived privacy and use behaviors. Using an Empanel survey sample collected from U.S. Facebook users, results show that privacy concern influences network size, trust influences privacy setting use and use frequency, and personal interest influences each privacy and use behavior. Findings also show that the privacy behaviors’ influence on gratifications obtained is complex in nature. A three-way interaction influences enjoyment and habit gratifications, and a two-way interaction influences bonding social capital. This paper provides opportunities for future research regarding OSN privacy behaviors, and it discusses practical implications.

Information disclosure, privacy behaviours, and attitudes regarding employer surveillance of social networking sites

This paper explores the use of social networking sites amongst the student population of a Welsh university, with particular respect to information-sharing and privacy behaviours, and the potential impact of social networking site checks by employers on future use of these sites. A mixed-methods research design incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches was employed to investigate the research question. Results demonstrated that participants were concerned with maintaining privacy online, and were careful with regards to posting and protecting information on social networking sites; however, protective measures were imperfect due to human and system errors. Most respondents were aware of social networking site surveillance, with many noting that this would have an impact on their future use; however, users are active in protecting their privacy through a combination of use of privacy settings and varied levels of information disclosure dependent on context.

“You never really know who’s looking”: Imagined surveillance across social media platforms

Social media users are routinely counseled to cultivate their online personae with acumen and diligence. But universal prescriptions for impression management may prove for vexing for college students, who confront oft-conflicting codes of normative self-presentation in digital contexts. Against this backdrop, our research sought to examine the online self-presentation activities of emerging adults (18–24) across an expansive social media ecology that included Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Twitter. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 28 Fcollege-aged youth, we highlight how the imagined surveillance of various social actors steered their self-presentation practices in patterned ways. After exploring three distinct responses to imagined surveillance—including the use of privacy settings, self-monitoring, and pseudonymous accounts (including “Finstas,” or fake + Instagram)—we consider the wider implications of a cultural moment wherein users are socialized to anticipate the incessant monitoring of social institutions: family, educators, and above all, (future) employers.

Facebook privacy management strategies: A cluster analysis of user privacy behaviors

Online privacy management research related to e-commerce mainly focuses on whether or not to disclose information. Online social networking on the other hand, offers a broader set of privacy management behaviors such as using vendor-provided privacy settings, limiting self-disclosures, and managing network size. While much prior research has examined these privacy behaviors individually, we investigate how Facebook users combine these behaviors to form privacy management strategies. Using communications privacy management and impression management theories we first develop four propositions about possible user strategies that combine differing levels of disclosure, network size, and privacy setting use. One strategy is the most public, whereas two others deviate from this public strategy by either limiting disclosures, or using privacy settings to restrict access. The final strategy is the most private. We then survey two samples of Facebook users (college students and the general population) about their privacy management behaviors, privacy perceptions, technology usage perceptions, and demographics. Using cluster analysis we find some support for all four propositions, and for an additional strategy that beginning users may employ. The findings also reveal intriguing differences among the privacy management strategies in terms of perceptions and demographics like privacy concern, usefulness, enjoyment, and age, gender, and experience. Implications for future research are discussed.

Examining privacy settings on online social networks: a protection motivation perspective

The easy accessibility of information on online social networks (OSN) such as Facebook, has boosted the significance of 'privacy settings' as a frontline of defence against information misuse. In this study a model is built based on the intersection of protection motivation theory (PMT), social exchange theory (SET), and privacy risk research to examine behaviour through both the use of privacy settings (adaptive/desirable behaviour) and the non-use of privacy settings (measuring maladaptive coping response). To validate the model a survey is conducted. Strong support was found for the mediating role played by PMT variables-cost, benefits, risk, and efficacy - on both maladaptive coping and adaptive behaviour. This research successfully applies PMT in the information privacy context and operationalises adaptive behaviour in a unique, but thus far unexplored, manner. It also identifies important risk antecedents to the PMT model which help further explain privacy on OSN.

Examining privacy settings on online social networks: a protection motivation perspective

The easy accessibility of information on online social networks (OSN) such as Facebook, has boosted the significance of 'privacy settings' as a frontline of defence against information misuse. In this study a model is built based on the intersection of protection motivation theory (PMT), social exchange theory (SET), and privacy risk research to examine behaviour through both the use of privacy settings (adaptive/desirable behaviour) and the non-use of privacy settings (measuring maladaptive coping response). To validate the model a survey is conducted. Strong support was found for the mediating role played by PMT variables-cost, benefits, risk, and efficacy - on both maladaptive coping and adaptive behaviour. This research successfully applies PMT in the information privacy context and operationalises adaptive behaviour in a unique, but thus far unexplored, manner. It also identifies important risk antecedents to the PMT model which help further explain privacy on OSN.

Disclosure Management on Social Network Sites: Individual Privacy Perceptions and User-Directed Privacy Strategies

The social web and specifically social network sites (SNS) have offered new opportunities for interaction and communication, but have also increased the risk of privacy violations. In this study, we investigated how far users imply different disclosure management strategies in status updates and chat conversations. We hypothesized that users perceive specific information as differently private depending on their personal privacy preference, but generally show the same disclosure management pattern: the higher the perceived privacy level of an information, the less frequently it will be shared. We tested the hypothesis using an online survey with 316 German SNS users. The findings suggest that respondents engaged in disclosure management taking both communication channel and type of information into account. We further found that trust toward SNS contacts and use of privacy settings significantly influenced disclosure management in one-to-many (status updates) but not in one-to-one communications situations (chat conversations). The results complement existing research by showing the pivotal role of individual privacy perceptions in explaining users’ privacy management in the social web.

Examining Online Social Network Use and Its Effect on the Use of Privacy Settings and Profile Disclosure

Online social networks (OSN) have become a part of our daily lives whether they are used for socialization and communication or to promote business interests. OSN have become an important tool for businesses to advertise, create brand awareness, and promote their products and services. Business use of OSN for advertising purposes is highly reliant on targeted ads which display advertisements to OSN users based on their demographics and use of OSN, apps, and websites. Thus, one of the most valuable commodities of OSN is the population of users and the information they share. To investigate the relationship between OSN site use, use of privacy settings, and how they relate to profile disclosure, a model is built based on the theory of reasoned action and the privacy calculus model. To validate the model, a survey is conducted and the results are analyzed with partial least squares. Risk and benefit were both shown to be significant antecedents of attitude. Both attitude and subjective norm, from the theory of reasoned action model, significantly affected OSN site use, while omitting intentions. OSN site use was significantly related to both profile disclosure and use of privacy settings. Last, use of privacy settings significantly affected profile disclosure. These results imply that use of privacy settings does not decrease the rate of disclosure. Giving users tools to protect their private information is important in protecting the privacy of OSN users, and it will lead to increases in safe disclosure of information helping OSN target ads effectively.

Privacy landscape in online social networks

These days a large number of people are actively using online social networks (OSNs). OSN users can freely interact with their digital friends and build and maintain their online as well as their offline relationships. Intentionally or unintentionally users share a lot of their personal information on these networks which results in privacy threats and unwanted privacy breaches. One of the major reasons for this is the lack of privacy awareness among users and their inability to effectively make correct use of privacy settings. Privacy in an OSN can be viewed from different perspectives but we mainly focus on user privacy. We present an elaborative privacy landscape where we compare and contrast previous literature, review existing definitions covering taxonomy and privacy concerns in OSNs, discuss different perceptions of privacy amongst users and some privacy preserving approaches to guarantee maximum privacy.

What's on YOUR Facebook profile? Evaluation of an educational intervention to promote appropriate use of privacy settings by medical students on social networking sites

BackgroundThe rise of social media has led to growing concerns about the potential implications of ‘unprofessional’ postings by physicians and medical students on individuals, institutions, and the medical profession. Relevant and effective guidelines have been difficult to develop and enforce, and there is a need for students and physicians to consider how their online activities may be perceived in the context of their professional roles. The purpose of this project was to examine the Internet presence of a graduating Canadian medical school class by scanning students’ public profiles on the social media site Facebook, incorporate this information into an educational activity addressing professionalism and social media, and evaluate the impact of this activity on student behavior.MethodsA systematic search for public Facebook profiles of each member of the class was conducted, and data were collected on the types of publicly visible material. These were presented as part of an educational session on social media and professionalism. One month later, the Facebook search was repeated.ResultsOf 152 students in the class, profiles were found for 121 (79.8%). The majority of students used appropriately restrictive privacy settings; however, a significant minority had publicly visible information, including comments, photographs, location, and status as a medical student. The educational innovation was well received with more than 90% of students agreeing that this topic was important and well addressed. A follow-up search found that many students had altered their privacy settings to make less information publicly available.ConclusionsA small but significant proportion of students share potentially unprofessional content on social media. An interactive educational intervention, which includes specific disclosure of how participants appear to others on social media, resulted in a significant change in student behavior.

Disclosure and Privacy Settings on Social Networking Sites

The present study evaluated a video-based intervention designed to permit users of social networking to make informed decisions about the information they disclosed online. The videos provided information regarding potential risks of disclosure and well as step-by-step instructions on privacy setting use. Novice (n=40) and experienced (n=40). FacebookTM users were randomly assigned to either the video intervention condition, or given the choice to watch the video intervention then were asked to construct a new FacebookTM account or work on their existing account. Viewing the video encouraged greater use of privacy settings as well as use of more restrictive privacy settings. Gender differences revealed greater use of privacy settings among women. Experienced users continued to disclose more than novice users, however, they increased their use of privacy settings which restricted the availability of the disclosed information. This study shows promising use of direct and explicit instruction in the teaching of privacy online.

Online Discussion and Learning Outcomes

This paper describes how we used Facebook as a discussion tool in the instruction of a principles level economics course and reports empirical estimates of the affect of that use on learning outcomes. Social media as a tool for promoting classroom discussion has advantages and disadvantages. For example, its omnipresence and flat learning curve can promote academic discourse. However social media can promote nonacademic “chatting”, and its omnipresence means the user needs more than a passing knowledge of the privacy settings to have control of their “digital identity”. For a Principles of Microeconomics taught in 2011 we collected data, with permission from our institution’s Institutional Review Board, on student use of Facebook, academic and demographic characteristics, learning style preferences and learning outcomes. Our research hypothesis is that an empirical analysis will find a positive correlation between student in-class use of Facebook and learning outcomes. Among our findings are that students should receive more coaching on the use of privacy settings, and qualified evidence that there is a positive net effect on learning outcomes of using Facebook as a discussion tool.

Millennial Counselors and the Ethical Use of Facebook

The use of social networking sites (SNS), and Facebook in particular, seems to be on the rise (Salaway, Nelson, & Ellison, 2008). The majority of users tend to be from the millennial generation (Hazlett, 2008), as are the majority of graduate counseling students. This discussion explores several areas regarding the use of Facebook. First, we review the literature on why students from the millennial generation are such avid users of Facebook. Second, we explore privacy settings: how MiUennials establish privacy settings and what demographic factors may be correlated with the level of privacy settings they establish. Results from an online descriptive survey of counseling students are compared with and found in many ways to be inconsistent with the literature on the risk factors associated with limited use of privacy settings. Implications of and recommendations for using Facebook for counselors and counselor educators are provided.Keywords: millennial generation, Generation Y, social networking sites, Facebook, ethics, boundariesThe use of social networking sites (SNS) is increasing in popularity with college students (Hazlett, 2008), and Facebook is one of the most popular sites (Salaway, Nelson, & Ellison, 2008; Fogel & Nehmad, 2009; Hazlett, 2008; Lehavot, Barnett, & Powers, 2010; MacDonald, Sohn, & Ellis, 2010). As of March 2013, Facebook had over 1.11 billion users overall (Facebook, 2013), but the more relevant statistic for this article is the evidence of the site's widespread use by college students. Data collected in 2006 and 2007 from several studies found that about 60-65% of college students were using Facebook (Fogel & Nehmad, 2009; Lehavot et al, 2010; MacDonald et al., 2010). Recent research conducted on college students found that more than 85% of students who responded to the survey use SNS, and 89% of those who used SNS had a Facebook page (Salaway et al, 2008). Thus, the use of SNS and Facebook is officially part of the college student culture. The fact that so many college students have incorporated Facebook into their lives is highly relevant to the field of counselor education. The majority of students in both masters and doctoral level training programs will have come from this culture, with a strong likelihood that they enter college programs with an existing Facebook page, and anticipate a continued interaction with friends, families and classmates via Facebook. Yet, the use of Facebook raises challenging ethical and clinical issues for both students and counselor educators. These include boundary issues: most importantly, the risks associated with a student's private information being accessible to clients; issues related to enhancing the integrity of the profession; and the ethical responsibilities of counselor preparation programs in admitting and preparing students for counseling careers. The purpose of this article is to examine the relevant literature on Facebook as it pertains to counselor education, and specifically literature that deepens an understanding of both why students use Facebook and how they use Facebook. Additionally, we will describe the results of a survey of Facebook use at our own master's in counseling program at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), which has a large student body, most of whom are members of the millennial generation. The nature of this survey is purely exploratory, with the goal of assessing whether Facebook use in one program supports or challenges the findings in the extant literature. The degree to which those findings are challenged will help clarify the need for and direction of future research. Finally, we will discuss the ethical dilemmas posed by Facebook, make recommendations on how counselor educators can prepare students to use Facebook ethically, and ensure that programmatic use of Facebook maintains the highest ethical standards.Privacy Settings on FacebookBefore examining the literature, it is important to review the concept of privacy and privacy settings in Facebook, since the way Facebook users deal with privacy is critical to ethically-sound counseling practice. …

Editorial: Social media use by nurses and midwives: a ‘recipe for disaster’ or a ‘force for good’?

Editorial: Social media use by nurses and midwives: a ‘recipe for disaster’ or a ‘force for good’?

Disclosure and Use of Privacy Settings in Facebook<sup>TM</sup> Profiles: Evaluating the Impact of Media Context and Gender

The present study examined disclosure and use of privacy settings in online social networking profiles as a function of the media context (i.e., online versus hard copy (paper and pencil) FacebookTM profiles). Gender was also examined. Overall, participants disclosed more information when constructing a profile for another person when using a hard copy paper and pencil format than an online context. Gender differences were not uniform across media contexts, however, in contrast to traditional disclosure theory, females censored their disclosures more so than males but only for some topics. Only 20% of the sample increased their use of privacy settings. Consistent with patterns of disclosure, descriptive comparison suggests that more settings were employed in the paper and pencil than online context and more privacy settings were employed by females.

Users' Gratification, Self-Schema and Facebook Behaviour: A Study of Selective Young Facebook Users

Major objective of the present study is to look at the relationship of personality traits of the young Facebook users with their behaviour on Facebook and the gratifications they obtain from Facebook usage. We have measured the gratifications with the help of 16 item scale developed on the basis of review of literature. The Facebook behaviour was measured in terms of number of friends and use of privacy settings on Facebook. The personality trait of users was measured in terms of the self-schema of Separateness-connectedness. A survey questionnaire was administered to the sample of 550 students who came from all over the country to attend the admission process of a well-known communication management school in India. Study concluded that perception of real self always gets reflected in the virtual behaviour of Facebook users. This can be considered as an extension of real self in their virtual behaviour. However, the comparison of the data between real space self-schema with the Facebook friendship behaviour gives more space to understand weather it is a mere extension or a modification in their real perception about their self.