scholarly journals Self-censorship in social networking sites (SNSs) – privacy concerns, privacy awareness, perceived vulnerability and information management

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-394
Author(s):  
Mark Warner ◽  
Victoria Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Privacy Concern ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
New Methods ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to investigate behavioural changes related to self-censorship (SC) in social networking sites (SNSs) as new methods of online surveillance are introduced. In particular, it examines the relationships between SC and four related factors: privacy concerns (PC), privacy awareness (PA), perceived vulnerability (PV) and information management (IM). Design/methodology/approach A national wide survey was conducted in the UK (N = 519). The data were analysed to present both descriptive and inferential statistical findings. Findings The level of online SC increases as the level of privacy concern increases. The level of privacy concern increases as the levels of PA and PV increase and the level of effective IM decreases. Originality/value This study extends the literature on online SC, showing that PCs increase the level of SC in SNSs. It provides support for three antecedent factors to PC which impact upon levels of SC when communicating in SNSs.

Determinants of users’ information dissemination behavior on social networking sites

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Shi ◽  
Ping Hu ◽  
Kin Keung Lai ◽  
Gang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Information Diffusion ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Viral Marketing ◽  
Related Factor ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relevant Factors

Purpose As a new communication paradigm, social networking sites (SNS) have boosted information diffusion and viral marketing. Prior researchers have identified various factors affecting information dissemination on SNS. However, they often focus on limited factors and there is a lack of an integrated theoretical framework that explains aspects of relevant factors. Besides, the research on the impacts of relationships on individual retweeting behavior is still controversial. The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical framework to systematically investigate the determinants of individual dissemination behavior on SNS based on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM). Moreover, the authors also examine the relative importance of those relevant factors. Design/methodology/approach The authors randomly selected 1,250 members of Twitter and crawled posts published by each member since he/she created the Twitter account using Twitter API. The authors processed the data to create panel data and tested hypotheses with the panel logit model. Findings Factors both on the central route and on the peripheral route of ELM have positive impacts on individual dissemination behavior. Among them, information receiver-related factor and relationships-related factors are the most influential. Contrastingly, source-related factors are the least influential. Furthermore, the authors find that social tie strength mediates almost 50 percent of the effect of value homophily on individual dissemination behavior. Originality/value The authors are the first to directly apply ELM to examine individual dissemination behavior on SNS. By integrating factors into the two information processing routes, They incorporate relevant factors into the model and systematically analyze their impacts on individual retweeting behavior on SNS. The research offers at least one explanation for the contradictory findings about the effect of homophily on individual sharing behavior in previous research. The authors propose new variables that gauge topical relevance and interpersonal value homophily on SNS.

Antecedents of relationship between customer and organization developed through social networking sites

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fedric Kujur ◽  
Saumya Singh
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Consumer Engagement ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Engagement Behavior ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Perceptual Factors

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to propose a theoretical model of how content-related factors, social factors and perceptual factors influence consumer engagement in brand social networking sites (SNSs) pages and further how consumer engagement behavior influences the customer–organization relationship.Design/methodology/approachThis study used an online and offline questionnaire to conduct empirical research and collected and analyzed data of 430 samples by using the structural equation modeling approach.FindingsThe result showed that all three factors, i.e. content-related factors, social factors and perceptual factors, had positive influence on consumer engagement. Further, the result also showed a positive influence of consumer engagement on the customer–organization relationship. Another important thing the study found was that social media users mostly engage in consuming the content and contributing.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has considered one popular SNS: Facebook. As the usage purpose and features of different SNSs vary, the future research should be directed by taking other popular SNSs, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, to gain a broader insight of consumer engagement on other brand SNS pages. Further, the present study has stressed on the exploring the quality of customer–organization relationship as the major outcome of consumer engagement on brand SNS pages. Therefore, the future study should be directed toward measuring the relationship between consumer engagement and other important outcomes, such as brand advocacy behaviors, positive word-of-mouth behaviors and brand loyalty.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests strategies for consumer engagement through SNSs, especially Facebook advertisements. First, the study has identified content-related factors, social factors and perceptual factors which will help the managers to set strategies for engaging new and prospective consumers on brand SNS pages. Second, it also describes how the online activities of consumers on brand SNS pages strengthen the relationship between customer and organizations. This conception will definitely help marketing managers to develop quality relationship with their existing and new customers.Originality/valueThe novelty of this study is that it attempts to explore the combined effect of content-related factors, social factors and perceptual factors on consumer engagement and also explores the nature and specific types of engagement behavior on brand SNS pages.

Impact of privacy policy content on perceived effectiveness of privacy policy: the role of vulnerability, benevolence and privacy concern

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Guo ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Chaoyou Wang
Keyword(s):  
Privacy Policy ◽  
Privacy Concern ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
User Perceptions ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
Policy Content

PurposeThis study examines how the different dimensions of a privacy policy separately influence perceived effectiveness of privacy policy, as well as the mediating mechanisms behind these effects (i.e. vulnerability, benevolence). In addition, this study considers privacy concern as a significant moderator in the research model, to examine if the relative influences of privacy policy content are contingent upon levels of users' privacy concern.Design/methodology/approachThe survey experiment was conducted to empirically validate the model. Specifically, three survey experiments and six scenarios were designed to manipulate high and low levels of the three privacy policy dimensions (i.e. transparency, control and protection). The authors totally distributed 450 copies of the questionnaire, of which 407 were valid.FindingsThis paper found that (1) all the three privacy policy dimensions directly influence perceived effectiveness of privacy policy; (2) all the three privacy policy dimensions indirectly influence perceived effectiveness of privacy policy by enhancing perceived corporate benevolence, whereas control also affects perceived effectiveness of privacy policy by reducing perceived vulnerability; and (3) individuals with high-privacy concern are much more impacted by privacy policy contents than individuals with low-privacy concern.Practical implicationsThe findings could provide website managers with guidelines on how to design privacy policy contents by reducing user perceptions of vulnerability and enhancing user perceptions of corporate benevolence. The managers need to focus on customers' perceived vulnerability and corporate benevolence when launching or updating privacy policies. Furthermore, the managers also need to attend to users' privacy concerns, especially for multinational companies or companies with specific consumer groups.Originality/valueThis study extends the current privacy policy literature by articulating the separate influences of the three privacy policy dimensions and their impact mechanisms on perceived effectiveness of privacy policy. It also uncovers privacy concerns as a boundary condition that influence the effects of privacy policy contents on users' privacy perceptions.

Perceived vulnerability of cyberbullying on social networking sites: effects of security measures, addiction and self-disclosure

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shilpi Jain ◽  
Soni Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Cyber Bullying ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Social Media Addiction

Purpose Cyber-bullying is a form of cyber-crime that has been propagated through extensive use of social networking sites (SNS). Despite the implementation of sophisticated security measures and government compliances, privacy intrusion is petrifying. Therefore, the purpose of this paper attempts to explore as follows: why cases of bullying are still snowballing year after year? Is it possible that advances in security measures are making users more vulnerable? Or, is it a social media addiction, which is making users vulnerable to cyberbullying? Design/methodology/approach The proposed research framework is grounded in the technology threat avoidance theory (TTAT). An empirical survey of 365 social media users was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to understand the impact of security measures, voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) and addiction on perceived vulnerability (PV) to cyber-bullying. Findings The findings indicate that security measures play a significant role in propelling users to disclose their personal information voluntarily, which, in turn, results in social media addiction, which further exposes users to cyberbullying. Moreover, the study unravels gender differences in perceived vulnerabilities to cyberbullying. Practical implications The findings of the current research contribute to a better understanding of gender differences in the awareness of security measures, addiction intensities, level of self-disclosures and propensity to cyberbullying victimization. Additionally, prevention and intervention efforts may benefit from using a more targeted approach to identify potential male and female victims that experience different forms of bullying on SNS. Originality/value In addition to other constructs, the current research investigates the role of user security measures (USM) and website security measures (WSM) on the PV to cyberbullying, typically, the role of these measures is to prevent the users from becoming the victims, whereas the research unravels that they could be the possible reasons for the increased number of cases in India. To the best of the knowledge, such conflicting roles of security measures have not been discussed earlier.

Why people use social networking sites passively

2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinhua Zhu ◽  
Zheshi Bao
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Privacy Concern ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying mechanism of how passive social networking site (SNS) use happens from aspects of impression management concern, privacy concern, and SNS fatigue, and then examine whether sense of membership can work as a moderator in this process. Design/methodology/approach The authors proposed a research model by integrating impression management concern, privacy concern, and SNS fatigue. A total of 301 valid online questionnaires were collected, and these data were assessed by PLS-SEM. Findings The results show that both impression management concern and privacy concern have direct and positive effects on passive SNS use, and meanwhile they can also indirectly and positively affect passive SNS use through SNS fatigue. Besides, the relationships between impression management concern and its outcomes (SNS fatigue and passive SNS use) can be moderated by sense of membership. Originality/value This research is novel in focusing on the formation of passive SNS use and providing new insight into some factors which can trigger users’ passive behaviors in SNS usage. The findings will contribute to SNS literature by offering a well proven conceptual model that facilitates the understanding of passive SNS use.

Social Networking Sites Continuance: An Application of Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Rajput
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Theory Of Planned Behaviour ◽  
Standard Theory ◽  
Planned Behaviour ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Continued Use ◽  
Moderating Role

Social networking sites (SNSs) have become popular in India with the proliferation of Internet. SNSs have gained the interests of academicians and researchers. The current study is an endeavor to understand the continuance of social networking sites in India. The study applies an extended version of theory of planned behavior. Additional factors privacy concerns and habits were incorporated into the standard theory of planned behaviour. A survey was conducted in a Central University in India. Overall, data was collected from 150 respondents. PLS-SEM was used to test the proposed model. All the hypotheses except the moderating role of habits between intentions and continued use of social networking sites, were supported by the results. Habits were found to affect continued use of social networking sites indirectly through continued intentions.

scholarly journals Defining user risk in social networking services

2015 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Haynes ◽  
Lyn Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Social Networking Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Purposive Sample ◽  
Risk Categories

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the risks faced by users of online social networking services (SNSs) in the UK and to develop a typology of risk that can be used to assess regulatory effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – An initial investigation of the literature revealed no detailed taxonomies of risk in this area. Existing taxonomies were reviewed and merged with categories identified in a pilot survey and expanded in purposive sample survey directed at the library and information services (LIS) community in the UK. Findings – Analysis of the relationships between different risk categories yielded a grouping of risks by their consequences. This aligns with one of the objectives of regulation, which is to mitigate risks. Research limitations/implications – This research offers a tool for evaluation of different modes of regulation of social media. Practical implications – Awareness of the risks associated with use of online SNSs and wider social media contributes to the work of LIS professionals in their roles as: educators; intermediaries; and users of social media. An understanding of risk also informs the work of policy makers and legislators responsible for regulating access to personal data. Originality/value – A risk-based view of regulation of personal data on social media has not been attempted in such a comprehensive way before.

Connecting and being connected: investigating friending practices across multiple social networking sites

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien Wen Yuan ◽  
Yu-Hao Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Relationship Maintenance ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bonding Social Capital ◽  
Amazon's Mechanical Turk

PurposeSocial networking sites (SNSs) offer people the possibility of maintaining larger networks of social ties, which also entails more complex relationship maintenance across multiple platforms. Whom to “friend” and via which platform can involve complex deliberations. This study investigates the relationships between users' perceived friending affordances of five popular SNSs (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and LinkedIn) and their friending behaviors concerning strong ties, weak ties (existing and latent ties) and parasocial ties.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey using Qualtrics was provided to participants (N = 626) through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The survey asked their SNS use and their friending behaviors with different ties on each of the sites.FindingsUsers' friending decisions are dependent on an interplay of socio-technical affordances of each SNS and specific needs for the ties. The authors found that the affordances of bridging social capital and enjoyment are aligned with friending weak and parasocial ties, respectively. The affordances of bonding social capital were not valued to friend strong ties.Originality/valueThe study extends the affordance and social capital literature by assessing users' perceived, contextualized SNS affordances in relation to actual communication behaviors in friending different social ties. This approach provides contextualized insights to friending decisions and practices on SNSs.

scholarly journals Perceived value of social networking sites (SNS) in students' expressive participation in social movements

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan D. Borrero ◽  
Shumaila Y. Yousafzai ◽  
Uzma Javed ◽  
Kelly L. Page
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
University Students ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine the beliefs that influence university students to use social networking sites (SNS) for expressive participation in social movements. Design/methodology/approach – The original technology acceptance model (TAM), a quantitative methodological approach, and a survey were used to collect responses from 214 university students in Spain. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed relationships. Findings – Results confirm that the perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) of SNS significantly affect a student's intention to use SNS for expressive social participation in social movements, with use intention significantly affecting actual participation. There was no significant moderating effect of students' gender on these relationships. Originality/value – Although there is much discussion in the popular press about how people use SNS, there is no published empirical research on the determinants that contribute to a person's intention to use and actual use of SNS in the context of social movements. This paper is one of the first studies to investigate young people's perception of the SNS usefulness and ease of the use for participation in social movements.

User-generated content on the Facebook page of an emergency management agency

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 558-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayan Chirayath Kurian ◽  
Blooma Mohan John
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Disaster Recovery ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Agency ◽  
Mixed Response

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore themes eventuating from the user-generated content posted by users on the Facebook page of an emergency management agency. Design/methodology/approach An information classification framework was used to classify user-generated content posted by users including all of the content posted during a six month period (January to June 2015). The posts were read and analysed thematically to determine the overarching themes evident across the entire collection of user posts. Findings The results of the analysis demonstrate that the key themes that eventuate from the user-generated content posted are “Self-preparedness”, “Emergency signalling solutions”, “Unsurpassable companion”, “Aftermath of an emergency”, and “Gratitude towards emergency management staff”. Major user-generated content identified among these themes are status-update, criticism, recommendation, and request. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to theory on the development of key themes from user-generated content posted by users on a public social networking site. An analysis of user-generated content identified in this study implies that, Facebook is primarily used for information dissemination, coordination and collaboration, and information seeking in the context of emergency management. Users may gain the benefits of identity construction and social provisions, whereas social conflict is a potential detrimental implication. Other user costs include lack of social support by stakeholders, investment in social infrastructure and additional work force required to alleviate the technological, organisational, and social barriers in communication among stakeholders in emergency management. A collective activity system built upon the Activity Theory was used as a lens to describe users’ activity of posting content on the Facebook page of an emergency management agency. Practical implications By analysing the findings, administrators and policy makers of emergency management could identify the extent to which the core principles of disaster recovery are accomplished using public social networking sites. These are achieved in relation to: pre-disaster recovery planning; partnership and inclusiveness; public information messaging; unity of effort; and, psychological recovery to maximise the success of recovery in a disaster. Furthermore, a core principle which evoked a mixed response was timeliness and flexibility. Originality/value Previous studies have examined the role of social networking sites in disastrous situations, but to date there has been very little research into determining themes found in user-generated content posted on the Facebook page of an emergency management agency. Hence, this study addresses the gap in literature by conducting a thematic analysis of user-generated content posted on the Facebook page of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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