Disentangling the paradox of the privacy paradox on social media: The role of privacy dimensions, perceived benefits, privacy self-efficacy, and privacy cynicism

Abstract

This study extends research on the ‘privacy paradox’ to the horizontal (privacy vis-à-vis peers) and vertical (privacy vis-à-vis institutions) dimensions of privacy on social media, and tests perceived benefits, privacy self-efficacy, and privacy cynicism as moderating factors for the privacy paradox on both dimensions. A cross-sectional online survey with a sample of U.S. adult social media users (N = 1,398) revealed no evidence for the privacy paradox on either the horizontal or the vertical privacy dimension (i.e., privacy concerns were positively associated with privacy management behaviors). Interestingly, perceived benefits and privacy cynicism moderated the relationships between privacy concerns and privacy management behaviors, though in the opposite direction to our prediction. In particular, the positive relationship between privacy concerns and privacy management behaviors was stronger among those with higher perceived benefits on the vertical dimension, and among those with higher privacy cynicism on both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. On the other hand, privacy self-efficacy was not a significant moderator on either dimension. Results demonstrate the multidimensional nature of online privacy and highlight the impact of conceptual and operational decisions on “finding” the privacy paradox.