Social Connections

2021 ◽  
pp. 231-266
Author(s):  
Nicholas Freudenberg

How individuals connect to others, buy wanted products, and work to achieve shared goals determine their opportunities for health and life success. In this century, companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft now decide how people can connect with others. By collecting data on purchases, behavior, and beliefs from their customers’ hardware, digital and cellphone use, Big Tech companies have created surveillance capitalism where personal data is a commodity to buy and sell. By targeting users for digital ads for unhealthy products; giving bullies access to a global audience; using likes and dislike to polarize people into opposing factions; or selling personal information to advertisers and special interests, these companies have compromised health, democracy, and privacy. In response, tech workers, social media users, privacy groups, and anti-monopoly reformers have challenged the domination of Big Tech companies and forged ways to use technology for human well-being instead of corporate profit.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather J. Parker ◽  
Stephen Flowerday

Purpose Social media has created a new level of interconnected communication. However, the use of online platforms brings about various ways in which a user’s personal data can be put at risk. This study aims to investigate what drives the disclosure of personal information online and whether an increase in awareness of the value of personal information motivates users to safeguard their information. Design/methodology/approach Fourteen university students participated in a mixed-methods experiment, where responses to Likert-type scale items were combined with responses to interview questions to provide insight into the cost–benefit analysis users conduct when disclosing information online. Findings Overall, the findings indicate that users are able to disregard their concerns due to a resigned and apathetic attitude towards privacy. Furthermore, subjective norms enhanced by fear of missing out (FOMO) further allows users to overlook potential risks to their information in order to avoid social isolation and sanction. Alternatively, an increased awareness of the personal value of information and having experienced a previous privacy violation encourage the protection of information and limited disclosure. Originality/value This study provides insight into privacy and information disclosure on social media in South Africa. To the knowledge of the researchers, this is the first study to include a combination of the theory of planned behaviour and the privacy calculus model, together with the antecedent factors of personal valuation of information, trust in the social media provider, FOMO.


Author(s):  
Venetis Kanakaris ◽  
Georgios Lampropoulos ◽  
Kerstin Siakas

Nowadays, social media and social networks are increasingly used in business as they have drastically changed the way the community works, communicates, collaborates, socialises, creates content and shares knowledge and ideas. However, in particular, IT professionals and practitioners need to be aware of online security and privacy issues and the potential negative impact that they may cause on different aspects of business, such as online breaches or information theft. The use of social media inevitably leads to disclosure of personal information, with the use of open-source intelligence (OSINT) and other similar techniques. Hence, the aim of this article is twofold, namely first to show results of a survey towards future Greek IT practitioners regarding awareness and viewpoints of social media users concerning security and privacy on social media. More specifically the study was based on responses and viewpoints of 178 Greek electrical engineering and IT students to an online questionnaire. Secondly, the aim is also to show how easily a potential malicious user can anonymously track and retrieve sensitive personal information in an automated and undetectable way from popular social media platforms by using publicly available information, resources, and tools. The results of the survey show that most of the respondents are aware of the privacy settings of the social media platforms they use. However, they consider that they should be more careful concerning personal data and whom they add as friends or followers and they do not feel comfortable with the fact that a stranger might be able to access their personal information through their publications on social media platforms.The case study indicates that it is possible for malicious users to acquire sensitive personal data (e.g. user's location via tweets and instas from smartphones). In addition, the ability to map activity could allow malicious users to track the activities of unsuspected users and predict their future locations.


Author(s):  
L. V. Chesnokova

The article examines the situation associated with the spread of social networks, which brought not only new communication opportunities, but also the risks of blurring the boundaries between privacy and publicity. People voluntarily share personal data in exchange for public acceptance. This information is recorded and studied by various government and commercial institutions. The danger to information privacy as a right to control access to personal information is aggravated by the peculiarities of online communication, which is characterized by “context collapse”: the merging of different audiences with different norms and values. Content posted on social media is searchable beyond a specific point in time and situation. If offline communication involves a foreseeable number of interlocutors, there is an “invisible audience” on social networks, which leads to information asymmetry. However, despite the fact that most users are aware of the potential dangers of privacy breaches, they share personal information on social networks. This phenomenon is called the privacy paradox. The reasons for this behavior are a lack of technical and social skills, a reluctance to spend time and energy on measures to minimize risks, a desire to have wide social connections and skepticism about the effectiveness of the efforts being made. The behavior of users on social networks is influenced primarily by factors such as age and education. The most concerned about the preservation of privacy are young people and middle-aged people, as they have to manage the most complex social relations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 974-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Reidy ◽  
David C. Klonoff ◽  
Katharine D. Barnard-Kelly

Social media provides a platform for easily accessible, relevant health information and emotional and practical support at the touch of a button for millions of people with diabetes. Therein however lies a challenge. The accuracy and reliability of such information is often unknown and unverified, not all interactions are deemed supportive; practically or emotionally, and not all members of society have equitable access. Cyber bullying, requests for personal information and uninvited sharing are among the risks associated with social media, yet the use of online social media is increasing exponentially. Such reliance on web-based health information has given rise to concerns about patients’ ability to accurately assess the credibility of online sources as well as the potential detrimental effect on personal well-being and patient-provider relations. In addition, there are rising digital disparities for particular subpopulations. Further, these concerns apply to where and how health care professionals should engage or refer patients to in terms of platforms of online support. There is little doubt regarding the popularity of social media, both within and outside of the health arena but there are also concerns. This article outlines five key areas associated with social media use in people living with diabetes and presents potential considerations moving forward. We focus on (1) social media as a platform for information and support; (2) social media interactions that are not supportive; (3) lessons from the DOC; (4) concerns about accuracy, reliability, and accessibility of information; and (5) differing priorities of health care professionals and patients.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Zhao ◽  
Juliana Schroeder ◽  
Shirly Bluvstein ◽  
Alixandra Barasch

Today more than ever before, online writing (e.g., emails, texts, and social media posts) has become a primary means of communication. Because written communication lacks human nonverbal cues (e.g., voice), people frequently struggle to distinguish whether they are interacting with a human or chatbot online. The current research suggests a novel way to humanize writers: typographical errors (“typos”). Across four experiments (N = 1,253) that used ambiguous conversational counterparts (e.g., customer service agents that might be bots), communicators who made and subsequently corrected a typo, rather than making no typo or not correcting a typo, appeared more humanlike. Respondents consequently believed that the communicator was warmer and were more likely to disclose personal information to the communicator. These findings provide insight into when people are willing to share their personal data online. We discuss theoretical implications for humanization and practical implications for Internet privacy and building trust in organizations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 155014772091211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás Robles ◽  
Borja Bordel ◽  
Ramón Alcarria ◽  
Diego Sánchez-de-Rivera

Users are each day more aware of their privacy and data protection. Although this problem is transversal to every digital service, it is especially relevant when critical and personal information is managed, as in eHealth and well-being services. During the last years, many different innovative services in this area have been proposed. However, data management challenges are still in need of a solution. In general, data are directly sent to services but no trustworthy instruments to recover these data or remove them from services are available. In this scheme, services become the users’ data owners although users keep the rights to access, modify, and be forgotten. Nevertheless, the adequate implementation of these rights is not guaranteed, as services use the received data with commercial purposes. In order to address and solve this situation, we propose a new trustworthy personal data protection mechanism for well-being services, based on privacy-by-design technologies. This new mechanism is based on Blockchain networks and indirection functions and tokens. Blockchain networks execute transparent smart contracts, where users’ rights are codified, and store the users’ personal data which are never sent or given to external services. Besides, permissions and privacy restrictions designed by users to be applied to their data and services consuming them are also implemented in these smart contracts. Finally, an experimental validation is also described to evaluate the Quality of Experience (in terms of user satisfaction) and Quality of Service (in terms of processing delay) compared to traditional service provision solutions.


First Monday ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinyoung Kim ◽  
June Ahn ◽  
Jessica Vitak

This study investigates the relationship between life contexts, SNS use, and psychological well-being, by focusing on Korean mothers’ interactions on a popular social network site (SNS), KakaoStory. Through analysis of survey and interview data, we find (1) a positive relationship between KakaoStory use and mothers’ perceptions of positive relations with others (a construct of psychological well-being), but no relationship with overall life satisfaction; (2) employment status is an important contextual factor that influences Korean mothers’ social connections, KakaoStory use, and psychological well-being; and, (3) working mothers lack opportunities for socialization and report lower levels of positive relations with others compared to stay-at-home mothers, when controlling for reported self-esteem. By analyzing these relationships, this study sheds light on the important role contextual factors play in determining women’s use of social media and unpacks the effect of social media use on different dimensions of psychological well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-156
Author(s):  
Andrei Șandor

AbstractSince the emergence of Internet and social media, new Intelligence branches have flourished, like CYBERINT (Cyber Intelligence), OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) or SOCMINT (Social Media Intelligence), with the aim to exploit different dimensions of the virtual world. These Intelligence-related disciplines may inquire personal information, statements and conversations posted voluntarily on websites or social platforms in order to profile people, identify social networks and organizational structures, and uncover vulnerabilities and threats/risks that can jeopardize the security of individuals or organizations. In this respect, the Internet - as environment - can provide valuable information from both technical and social side. This is why the World Wide Web is and will remain an important place to search for data and information that can be processed into Intelligence, and represents the reason why people working in sensitive domains (e.g. Intelligence) should be aware of their vulnerabilities and the risks and threats posed by this environment.DISCLAIMER: This paper expresses the views, interpretations, and independent position of the authors. It should not be regarded as an official document, nor expressing formal opinions or policies, of NATO or the HUMINT Centre of Excellence.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Sewall ◽  
Daniel Rosen ◽  
Todd M. Bear

The increasing ubiquity of mobile device and social media (SM) use has generated a substantial amount of research examining how these phenomena may impact public health. Prior studies have found that mobile device and SM use are associated with various aspects of well-being. However, a large portion of these studies relied upon self-reported estimates to measure amount of use, which can be inaccurate. Utilizing Apple’s “Screen Time” application to obtain actual iPhone and SM use data, the current study examined the accuracy of self-reported estimates, how inaccuracies bias relationships between use and well-being (depression, loneliness, and life satisfaction), and the degree to which inaccuracies were predicted by levels of well-being. Among a sample of 393 iPhone users, we found that: a.) participants misestimated their weekly overall iPhone and SM use by 22.1 and 16.6 hours, respectively; b.) the correlations between estimated use and well-being variables were consistently stronger than the correlations between actual use and well-being variables; and c.) the amount of inaccuracy in estimated use is associated with levels of participant well-being as well as amount of use. These findings suggest that estimates of device/SM use may be biased by factors that are fundamental to the relationships being investigated. **This manuscript is currently under review**


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