Faculty Publications

Digital Paranoia: Unfriendly Social Media Climate Affecting Social Networking Activities

Document Type

Book Chapter

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Social Media and the Transformation of Interaction in Society

First Page

210

Last Page

227

Abstract

Participation in social networks, forums, and other discussion groups is a growing trend in the United States. Aside from the benefits of online social media, there is a growing concern about privacy and safety from the devolvement of personal information online. As a result of this unfriendly social media climate, Americans are taking measures to protect personal identity and to avoid surveillance by others. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze factors predicting which groups are most concerned about Internet privacy. In addition, this chapter explores how concerns regarding Information privacy are impacting usage of social network sites. We explore these questions using multivariate regression analysis and individual level data from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Our findings suggest that those with the greatest fears regarding online privacy are not staying offline but are taking necessary precautions to address concerns.

Department

Department of Political Science

Original Publication Date

9-21-2015

DOI of published version

10.4018/978-1-4666-8556-7.ch011

Link to Full Text

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