Give Social Network Users the Privacy They Want

Pamela Wisniewski*, A. K. M. Najmul Islam, Bart P. Knijnenburg, Sameer Patil

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionScientificpeer-review

    Abstract

    Social Network Sites (SNS) are often characterized as a trade-off where users must give up privacy to gain social benefits. We investigated the alternative viewpoint that users gain the most benefits when SNSs give them the privacy they desire. Applying structural equation modeling to questionnaire data of 303 Facebook users, we examined the complex relationship between privacy and SNS benefits. We found that SNS users whose privacy desires were met reported higher levels of social connectedness (i.e., perceived relational closeness with others) than those who achieved less privacy than they desired. Social connectedness, in turn, played a pivotal role in building social capital (i.e., the benefits derived from relationships with others). These findings suggest that more openness may not always be better; SNSs should aim to achieve 'Privacy Fit' with user needs to enhance user experience and ensure sustained use.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationPROCEEDINGS OF THE 2015 ACM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER-SUPPORTED COOPERATIVE WORK AND SOCIAL COMPUTING (CSCW'15)
    PublisherACM
    Pages1427-1441
    Number of pages15
    ISBN (Electronic)978-1-4503-2922-4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015
    MoE publication typeA4 Article in a conference publication
    EventACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing - Vancouver, Canada
    Duration: 14 Mar 201518 Mar 2015
    Conference number: 18

    Conference

    ConferenceACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing
    Abbreviated titleCSCW
    Country/TerritoryCanada
    CityVancouver
    Period14/03/201518/03/2015

    Keywords

    • Privacy
    • Facebook
    • social capital
    • social connectedness
    • Social Network Sites
    • SNS

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