Driving Behavioral Change for Information Management through Data-Driven Gree...
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Gor 2009 Taddicken Jers Schenk
1. Research project [funded by DFG]:
âThe diffusion of the media innovation Web 2.0: Determinants and effects from a userâs perspectiveâ
Social Web and Self-Disclosure = Participation vs. Privacy?
Krueger, R.A./Casey, M.A. (2000): Focus Groups. Thousand Oaks.
Exploring how users manage this dilemma via Focus Groups
Monika Taddicken, Cornelia Jers, Michael Schenk
General Online Research Conference
1 Vienna, April 7th, 2009
2. Background
âą Social Web / Web 2.0: variety of different applications, but based on the
same principles (âuser-generated contentâ, âarchitecture of participationâ)
âą Social Web requires users to disclose information
âą Heightened self-disclosure in computer-mediated-communication
(e. g. Joinson 2001, Tidwell/Walther 2002, Suler 2004)
âą Self-disclosure =
âthe telling of the previously unknown so that it becomes shared knowledgeâ
(Joinson et al. 2008)
âthe process of making the self known to othersâ (Jourard/Lasakow 1958)
âą Privacy cost on users
âą Growing concerns about the reasonable handling of
personal information in the Social Web
What influences the self-disclosure of Social Web users?
3. Method
âą 5 Focus Groups with semi-active and active users
âą Recruiting participants
Via flyers in households in Stuttgart, blogs, and web forums
Screening via web survey
âą Classification of activity level
Passive use: only reading or watching
Semi-active use: writing comments or rating content of others
Active use: presenting information, generating content
âą Participants
30 males, 16 females, aged between 18 and 44 years, different levels of education
4. To give an impression:
âI like to present myself, I wanna show who I am.â
âI wouldnât just think of possible
consequences. [âŠ] Iâm not aware of it.
Actually, the current discussion gives me a
âI donât disclose any private
reality check.â
pictures about me, Iâd never
upload a photoalbum of my last
holiday! ⊠Only party pictures.â
âWell, I upload pictures, including pictures not
adequate for HR managers. âŠ. If I do it,
hopefully noone else does it. [âŠ] And if I delete
it, itâs gone.â
âNo Saturday-night-drunk-in-the-ditch-picture.â
5. Results
1) Level of Activity
Active users = high level of disclosure:
Personal information (names, addresses, pictures):
âWhy shouldnât I reveal my real name?â
âI do have a XING account, but I use it rarely. I just have this account, thatâs it. Iâm using my studiVZ account
frequently, a lot of my friends use it as well. I have uploaded at least 200, 300 pictures, then
Iâve linked on about another 100 or so. And that way, we do a lot of picture exchanges, too. â
Thoughts and opinions:
âI read a lot and if I find something I think âokay, thatâs nonsense, absolutely not
correctâ, he gets my opinion via trackback. Thatâs it.â
Experiences:
âI rather report afterwards than write about my future activities. I wouldnât have written
âhey, I will be there and there the day after tomorrowâ into my blog, but maybe Iâll write next week that Iâve been
here.â
6. Results
1) Level of Activity
Semi-active users = low(er) level of disclosure:
donât write into it. I just donât feel like it. Too time-consuming. And it will get me nowhere.â
âWell, I
You
âBut you can register with any name. You donât have to disclose your real e-mail-address or something.
can set up an e-mail-address only for those purposes, then it works out⊠without revealing
any personal data, if you doesnât want to.â
âI personally donât do it [comment and generate content], but I think this is very
very important.â
I wouldnât have the
âIâm wondering why someone would write a blog. [âŠ] Thatâs kind of⊠I donât know,
idea to do so. Because I think I better could discuss things in real life.â
Active users high(er) level of disclosure
Semi-active users low(er) level of disclosure
7. Results
1) Level of Activity
I use my nickname, apart from that
quot;In forums, discussion forums, elsewhere, I use my avatar,
noone knows anything. Iâm personally non existent in the Internet.â
âIâm often under my real name⊠or always. And I only use my regular e-mail-address. I havenât
had a lot of problems with spams during the last years, because I do it rarely and I only use applications
which look seriously. Iâve quitted doing something else.â
âAt least for a rough impression, that I know who Iâm dealing with. Okay, many pictures are faked, thatâs another
story. I publish at least a profile photo, doesnât matter where. A picture of my face,
identifiable, so that everyone knows who I am. Thatâs just part of the game!â
Active users high(er) level of disclosure
Semi-active users low(er) level of disclosure
8. Results
2) Privacy Concerns
Privacy worriers = low level of disclosure / no disclosure:
âI only read blogs, I donât post anything. I donât want do disclose private information.â
âWell, I disclose those information I would tell someone at the trainstation while
waiting for the train. Thatâs really not too much.â
âSome day I passed on to let only my friends see my profile. In the beginning, I didnât
care about it, but itâs a fact that the whole world can look at it. And there are still some things not everyone
needs to know. Private things, just for friends.â
Privacy unworriers = ⊠:
âI find it annoying to mind it. I donât care at all whoâs interested in my life, Iâve nothing to hide.â
âMay be Iâm a little bit naive, but I think that this recent hype âOh my god, they want to abuse our dataâ is much
overweighted. I donât know. May be I underrate it. Might be. But I think, nothing real can happen
to me. If someone knows I have a partner or am married or so, so what?â
9. Results
3) Trustworthiness of Application
Depends on
âą âhow it looks likeâ
âIâm often under my real name⊠or always. And I only use my regular e-mail-address. I havenât had a lot of
problems with spams during the last years, because I do it rarely and I only use applications which
look seriously. I quitted doing someything else.â
âą the reputation
âIâm always very cautious in the beginning. When I become aware of somethin new, I keep an eye on it first.
When I find out that some of my friends use it and are happy with it, Iâll have a closer
look on it and maybe Iâll register. But then I use it very intensely.â
âą the habitualization of use
âI believe thereâs a lower inhibition threshold in studiVZ, because you are used to
everything. You already know a lot of people, itâs a cosy atmosphere. You log in regularly,
then you just know everything and are less concerned. Whoâd be concerned about any
uncertainties at home? I wouldnât. I feel comfortable [in studiVZ].â
10. Results
4) Social Context
Peer-group pressure strongly influences level of use and disclosure.
âI only register if I know someone there. Especially studiVZ or something like that. To get to know
someone in the Internet, thatâs difficult for me. Thatâs why I register nowhere.â
âIf you arenât a member in a SNS you are completely socially excluded. I can talk
about myself: If I wasnât a user of all these SNS I would have no opportunity to keep in touch with all the people I
donât call. Several people directly asked me to join a network. Thatâs where the whole life takes
place, you have groups founded for special purposes, such as organizing class reuninions or discussing the
With
next exam at university and so on. If youâre not âinâ, you donât have any chance to get these information.
applications like that you have the advance to be socially integrated.â
Why doesnât he do
âWell, if someone doesnât do it, unlike everyone else, heâd fall in a special category:
it? Thatâs ominious. I think you definitely can use it â and that safely.â
11. Results
5) (Expected) Benefits
Expectations of benefits strongly influence level of usage and disclosure.
âI donât like it, but I value the service and the functions more, so I abandon a
piece of privacy.â
âToo much effort to write something. And it doesnât yield anything, at least nothing for
myself.â
âThis would be totally ridiculous: Why should I rate something? I mean⊠what for?â
âI would. If I had something to publish, may be a stay abroad or something like this, may be after my diploma,
if I had done something, something professional⊠I would write a blog instead of something else, because itâs
easier.â
12. Results
6) Data Management Possibilities
I disclose information, private information and pictures and whatâs going on my life, but
âOn Facebook,
I do it secured that only my friends can have a look at it.â
7) Impression Management
âBlog, that means one is talking, many are listening. You can comment, but itâs always related to the original
article. Bloggers are the people of Speakerâs Corner, people who were standing in
the park and making their speeches.â
8) Awareness
âI think younger people show a higher self-disclosure. They just donât think about being in profession and
someone of the HR department could have a look on their private lifes. A 17-, 18-year old in school or an
undergraduate doesnât think about it. Thatâs later on, Iâve seen it at my friends. It started with students
doing an internship, they started concealing their names or made profiles
otherwise more anonymous. Not till then they are aware of their self-disclosure.â
13. Conclusions
Activity
Privacy
concerns Personal
information
Benefits
Social
context
Self- Thoughts and
opinions
Disclosure
Trustworthiness
Data
management
Impression
Experiences
management
Awareness
14. Conclusions
âą Limitations:
Reported behaviour
No standardized evaluation
Factors missing
âą Next steps:
Web survey with 3.000 participants in May 2009
Evaluation of self-disclosing behaviour and influencing factors
âą Web-Researcher-Blog: http://webresearcherblog.wordpress.com/
15. Thank you for your attention!
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2007/06/variations-on-t.html
monika.taddicken@uni-hohenheim.de