Privacy and Information Sharing on Social Networking Sites Edwin Leonardi Liong and Tobias Mejstad Master’s thesis in Informatics, 15 HEC Supervisor: Paul Pierce Examiners: Agneta Olerup Magnus Wärja Seminar Date: June 10, 2010 [email protected] [email protected] Title Privacy and Information Sharing on Social Networking Sites Authors Edwin Leonardi Liong Tobias Mejstad Publisher Department of Informatics Supervisor Paul Pierce Examiners Agneta Olerup, Magnus Wärja Presented June, 2010 Thesis type Master’s thesis Language English Keywords social networking sites, social exchange theory, privacy, information sharing, gender, age, geographical background, quantitative Abstract Social networking sites are becoming more and more widely used, increasing their importance as vehicles for communication and collaboration. Due to this, a significant amount of information is shared on these sites, with considerable potential implications for the area of personal privacy. There have been reports that the users of these sites do not understand the potential harms of information-sharing. In our study, we examine individuals’ perceptions of privacy as they relate to these sites as well as how these perceptions differ between genders, age groups and geographical backgrounds. Using quantitative methods by surveying 240 individuals we find that they are, indeed, highly concerned about their privacy, both on the Internet and on SNS. Furthermore, even if they share a significant amount of information on these sites, they are both aware of and make use of the privacy settings available to them. However, we find that the terms and agreements and privacy policies pertaining to these sites are not important factors influencing the decision of whether or not to get involved in them. Our findings make us conclude that individuals are performing cost and benefit analyses related to their level of participation and information-sharing, in line with the social exchange theory. Our study also confirms that the phenomenon of information disclosure on SNS is to some extent associated with the user’s gender and age, as has been suggested in previous studies. However, we find differences concerning the specific characteristics of privacy awareness and privacy protection on SNS as compared to previous studies. Finally, we examine these areas with respect to geographical backgrounds, and discover differences not previously reported. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Problem Area ........................................................................................................................................ 3 1.2 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Delimitations ........................................................................................................................................ 5 1.4 Motivation and Approach ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Structure of the Report ......................................................................................................................... 7 2. Literature Review ....................................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Social Networking Sites ....................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Privacy within SNS .............................................................................................................................12 2.2.1 Information Disclosure .................................................................................................................12 2.2.2 Third-Party Interest in Information ..............................................................................................15 2.2.3 Awareness and Privacy Protection ...............................................................................................17 2.3 Demographic Differences Related to SNS and Privacy Concerns.......................................................19 2.3.1 Gender ..........................................................................................................................................19 2.3.2 Age ...............................................................................................................................................21 2.3.3 Geographical Background ............................................................................................................23 3. Theoretical Framework .............................................................................................................................26 3.1 Social Exchange Theory ......................................................................................................................26 4. Methodology .............................................................................................................................................29 4.1 Overall Work Process ..........................................................................................................................29 4.2 Philosophical Paradigm and Research Approach ................................................................................30 4.3 Questionnaire Design ..........................................................................................................................32 4.4 Data Collection ....................................................................................................................................38 4.5 Sampling Error ....................................................................................................................................39 4.6 Non-sampling Error .............................................................................................................................40 4.7 Reliability ............................................................................................................................................42 4.8 Validity ................................................................................................................................................44 4.9 Overall Bias .........................................................................................................................................45 4.10 Ethical Considerations .......................................................................................................................45 4.11 Sample Profile ...................................................................................................................................47 4.12 Methods for Data Analysis ................................................................................................................48 5. Results and Analysis ..................................................................................................................................54 5.1 Descriptive Statistics ...........................................................................................................................54 5.2 Demographical Differences .................................................................................................................61 5.2.1 Gender Differences .......................................................................................................................61 5.2.2 Age Differences ............................................................................................................................64 5.2.3 Geographical Differences .............................................................................................................68 5.3 Correlations and Constructs .................................................................................................................71 5.4 Linear Regression ................................................................................................................................73 6. Conclusions ...............................................................................................................................................76 6.1 Limitations and Future Research .........................................................................................................78 Appendix A : Descriptive Statistics ..............................................................................................................80 Appendix B : Gender ....................................................................................................................................98 Appendix C : Age ........................................................................................................................................106 Appendix D : Geographical Background (Continent) .................................................................................116 Appendix E : Correlations and Constructs ..................................................................................................133 Appendix F : Linear Regression ..................................................................................................................137 Appendix G : Graphs ...................................................................................................................................142