Examining the Digital Privacy Attitudes and Behaviours of East Yorkers
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Scholarship@Western Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 12-16-2019 1:00 PM Resignation or Resistance? Examining the Digital Privacy Attitudes and Behaviours of East Yorkers Kaitlyn Cavacas The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Quan-Haase, Anabel The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Sociology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Arts © Kaitlyn Cavacas 2019 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, and the Social Media Commons Recommended Citation Cavacas, Kaitlyn, "Resignation or Resistance? Examining the Digital Privacy Attitudes and Behaviours of East Yorkers" (2019). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 6776. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/6776 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract Digital technologies have become enmeshed in everyday life causing the public to become exposed to potential privacy risks through data collection and aggregation practices. Further, the upsurge in use of social networking platforms has also created opportunities for privacy violations through institutional and social surveillance. Employing a qualitative thematic analysis, this study explores how adults (N=101) living in East York, Toronto, navigate privacy through their use of the internet and digital services. Participants expressed feelings of mistrust, loss of control, resignation, and perceived self-unimportance with regards to their digital data. Importantly, others noted their desire and attempts to gain agency when using online services. This study provides support for the rich and developing body of literature on the sociology of resignation; as such, it challenges the notion that digital users are unconcerned about their data online and argues for a re-evaluation of the "informed" and "empowered" actor metaphor at the heart of the privacy paradox debate. Summary for Lay Audience With the increased use of digital services and the internet becoming an ever-present phenomenon, concerns have emerged around privacy as related to digital data collection and use of personal data. This study investigates the privacy-related attitudes and behaviours of individuals living in the neighbourhood of East York, Toronto. Results reveal that individuals experienced feelings of loss of control in their use of digital services, and some viewed their digital data as being unimportant or uninteresting. Furthermore, respondents expressed experiencing mistrust towards various sources including other users online, corporations, the government and technological services. Despite the limitations faced in using digital services, users noted their efforts to gain control and exert agency over their personal data. This study supports the emerging literature on the sociology of digital resignation and argues for its inclusion as a theoretical model for understanding how users manage digital and online privacy. Keywords digital privacy, networked privacy, surveillance, social media, privacy paradox, resignation, East York studies ii Acknowledgments Firstly, I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Anabel Quan-Haase. From the start of my project you have been encouraging and supportive which has allowed me to passionately hone in on my topic. Despite my changing ideas and theoretical direction you remained confident in my abilities, always providing a source of reassurance when needed. I am incredibly grateful for your mentorship. Your patience, unwavering kindness, attentiveness and thoroughness provided me with invaluable support throughout this journey and for this I am eternally grateful. Secondly, I would like to thank Molly Harper. Your efforts in assisting with coding and editing have been incredibly helpful. This thesis would not be the same without your contributions. Your passion for bullying and youth shine a light on how incredibly kind and considerate you are and I thank you again for your work on this project. Thirdly, I would like to thank the members of my defense committee, Dr. Michael Gardiner, Dr. Scott Schaffer, and Alison Hearn. Thank you for your input and time, it is greatly appreciated. To my family, you mean everything to me. Your endless support throughout my life has provided me with the reassurance needed to pursue my passions. To my parents, your humility and open hearts have impacted the person I am today and I am endlessly grateful to have both of you as models of love in my life. Finally, this thesis received financial support from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant Number: SSHRC 435-2015-1444). I am grateful to those who have advised and helped, especially those who transcribed and coded the interviews, as well as Barry Wellman, Christian Beermann, Brent Berry, Isioma Elueze, and Maria Kicevski. Most of all, I owe immense gratitude to the residents of East York who welcomed us into their homes. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. iiii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi List of Appendices ......................................................... vError! Bookmark not defined.i Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................. 1 1 Introduction ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Chapter 2 ............................................................................................................................. 8 2 Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Context .................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Surveillance Culture.............................................................................................. 11 2.3 Surveillance Realism ............................................................................................ 13 2.4 Responses to Surveillance Culture ........................................................................ 17 2.5 Implications for the Privacy Paradox ................... Error! Bookmark not defined.1 Chapter 3 ...................................................................................................................... 25 3 Methodology ................................................................................................................ 25 3.1 Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 26 3.2 East York, Toronto................................................................................................ 27 3.3 Demographics of the Sample ................................................................................ 29 3.4 Internet Experiences.............................................................................................. 29 3.5 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................... 250 Chapter 4 ........................................................................................................................... 34 4 Findings ........................................................................................................................ 34 4.1 Mistrust ................................................................................................................. 34 iiii 4.1.1 Mistrust towards Known Others .................................................................. 35 4.1.2 Mistrust towards Unknown Others .............................................................. 37 4.1.3 Mistrust towards Corporations ................................................................... 342 4.1.4 Mistrust towards Government.................................................................... 344 4.1.5 Mistrust towards Technological Services .................................................. 348 4.2 Perceived Self-Unimportance ............................................................................... 50 4.3 Loss of Control ..................................................................................................... 53 4.4 Agency .................................................................................................................. 57 4.5 Resignation ........................................................................................................... 61 Chapter 5 ..........................................................................................................................