A Proactive Generation Reacts:
Privacy, Disclosure and Strategic
Action on Facebook
By Zeynep Tufekci
Assistant Professor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Twitter: @techsoc
zeynep@unc.edu
Reality versus Perception

A loony, narcissistic generation
inexplicably oversharing just because
they’re different

Facebook merely reflecting those changes

Numerous assertions by Facebook
executives that “one identity, one social
graph” is better, moral, normal
Privacy and Disclosure are:

Historically-situated

Grounded by personal circumstances,
identit(ies), context

Structured and played out through
architecture, norms and affordances

Always include strategic action
considerations
Popular Perception:
Background

Facebook is a de facto norm among college
students

Facebook architecturally leans towards
disclosure and a united social graph

Facebook has made multiple privacy changes,
often controversial

Disclosure levels tend to be high
What We Know

Contrary to media perceptions, are
struggling to adapt and figure out

Documenting struggle, strategy and
change: Boyd & Hargittai (2010),
Stutzman (2011), Raynes–Goldie, Kate
(2010), Pew (2010)
Strategies & Experiences: Questions

How have young adult behaviors have
changed over time?

What are their experiences with privacy
and disclosure?

What are their strategies?

Can we untangle experience (i.e.
Bandura’s social learning theory) and
anticipatory behaviors?
This Study

College student sample

Latest survey December 2010 (n=403)

Historical surveys on comparable (but not
longitudinal) groups since 2006 (n>1000)
m

Diverse, mid-sized school, socio-economic
range, sample generally representative of
school
Sample Characteristics
N (%)
Male
Female
53.3
45.6
White
Black
43.0
17.5
Hisp./Other
Asian-Ame.
13.0
26.5
MEAN
General Privacy Concern
(1-5)
4.06
MEAN
Years on FB
3.58
Sample Descriptives
EVER USE FACEBOOK FOR: (1-4)
Keep in touch with friends in same 3.1
school
Keep in touch with friends elsewhere 3.4
To find people with similar interests 1.5
To find potential friends 1.8
How concerned are you that people you 3.3
do not want to see your profile would
see your profile (1-5)
EVER DONE THE FOLLOWING BECAUSE OF
A PRIVACY OR VISIBILITY CONCERN?
%
Untagged themselves from a photo
73.9
Deleted info from profile
81.3
Unfriend someone
68.3
Deactivate their profile
19.6
Those who have:
%
Never changed privacy settings
9.4
Changed their privacy settings last month
36.7
Changed their privacy settings in the last year
82.9
Of those who changed ever privacy settings (n=363):
Those whose last change was to make their profile
LESS visible
90.3
Sample Descriptives
Did the Following Happen to YOU?
AT
LEAST
ONCE
Lost a job
0.8%
Did not get hired
0.5%
Had issues at work
2.5%
Had a fight with a girlfriend/boyfriend
28.7%
Broke up with a girlfriend/boyfriend
8.0%
Had a fight with a friend
25.7%
Had a fight with a parent
17.2%
Had a legal problem
0.8%
Did the Following Happen to SOMEONE YOU AT LEAST
KNOW?
ONCE
Lost a job
19.7%
Did not get hired
19.4%
Had issues at work
30.8%
Had a fight with a girlfriend/boyfriend
70.9%
Broke up with a girlfriend/boyfriend
51.2%
Had a fight with a friend
66.2%
Had a fight with a parent
53.2%
Had a legal problem
21.9%
Did Any of the Following Happen to You? (%)
AT LEAST
ONCE
Someone you did not want found your profile
73.9%
Other people posted pictures of you that you wish they
had not
70.0%
Someone else got upset with you seeing a picture of
you with someone else
25.7%
You got upset with someone after seeing a picture of
theirs with someone else
39.8%
Someone harassed/stalked you online
33.6%
Someone much older contacted you
54.6%
You found out something very important about a friend
77.8%
You found that someone else had been lying to you by
looking at their profile
59.6%
You got caught in a lie by someone else through your
profile
32.5%
Changes in Profile Visibility in Facebook 2006-2010 (December)
Privacy Concerns and Profile Visibility in Facebook 2006-2010 (December)
Concerns about Privacy and Visibility of Profile
4.5
4
3.5
3
How concerned unwanted people would
see your profile? (1-5 very)
2.5
How concerned about privacy? (1-5)
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Spring 06
Fall 06
Spring 07
Fall 07
Spring 08
Fall 2010
Logistic Regression Modeling Odds of Privacy Related Behaviors
Less Visible Last Month
exp(b)
exp(b)
Female
1.583
1.732*
Black
1.032
0.684
Hisp/Other
0.693
0.929
Asian
0.676
0.934
Happened to me
0.988
0.980
I observed
1.099
1.023
Surveillance
1.049
1.004
Far friends
1.181
1.165
Near friends
0.892
1.538*
Find potential
1.002
1.283
Find similar
0.679
0.761
Audience Concern
1.671*** 1.791***
Years on FB
1.364**
1.047
_cons
0.097
0.008***
N
383
383
ll
-162.272
223.213
* p<0.05, ** p<0.01, *** p<0.001
Never Changed
exp(b)
0.611
0.428
1.828
0.680
1.044
1.079
0.754***
0.824
1.186
0.740
1.801*
0.624*
0.803
22.286
383
-97.021
Public Profile
exp(b)
0.255**
1.232
1.192
1.861
1.016
1.085
0.937
0.925
0.907
1.031
1.337
0.375***
0.773*
8.462
383
-104.967
*
The Previous Table Says:

Respondent’s concern over unwanted
audiences IS significantly associated with
privacy-preserving actions

Respondent’s experience with *or*
observations of negative consequences is
NOT strongly associated with privacy
related actions
Logistic Regression Modeling Odds of Accepting Friend
Request from Person already known / not known
Know
Don’t Know
exp(b)
exp(b)
Female
-0.098
-0.141
Black
0.100
0.129
Hisp/Other
0.209
-0.021
Asian
0.243**
0.145
Someone else
-0.007
-0.003
Me
0.015
-0.032
Surveillance
0.010
0.036***
Far friends
-0.023
0.104
Near friends
0.017
-0.026
Find potential
0.039
0.156**
Find similar
0.029
0.138*
Profile concern
-0.033
-0.164***
Years on FB
0.005
-0.015
_cons
3.219***
1.494***
N
381
381
ll
-365.679
-420.871
* p<0.05, ** p<0.01, *** p<0.001
The Previous Table Says:
When it Comes to Accepting Friend
Request from Unknown Person:
Respondent’s who are interested in finding
similar people and expanding their
networks more likely
 Respondents concerned about unwanted
audiences less likely

Logistic Regression Modeling Odds of
Using a Nickname of Facebook
Nickname
exp(b)
Female
0.527
Black
2.810*
Hisp/Other
0.951
Asian
1.194
Someone else
0.929
Me
1.081
Surveillance
1.021
Far friends
0.920
Near friends
1.020
Find potential
1.386
Find similar
0.798
Profile concern
1.196
Years on FB
1.101
_cons
0.031*
N
383
ll
-103.802
* p<0.05, ** p<0.01, *** p<0.001
The Previous Table Says:
For Nicknames

African-Americans almost three times the
odds of using a nickname on Facebook

Descriptive: in 2006-7, about 94% used
nicknames, in 2010 December about 90%

Also, only 3.5% use multiple profiles on
Facebook
Not Shown:

Interaction with “near friends” has higher
association with untagging and deleting
information (suggests strategic action)

Disclosure levels have gone down from
06-07 but are still relatively high

Romantic status disclosure also linked to
privacy related issues (esp. unwanted
audiences)
Conclusion

Facebook remains a dominant platform
and a strong social norm in College

Young adults in college are adapting and
changing their behaviors on Facebook

Privacy related behaviors are associated
with pro-active (concerns) rather than reactive (personal incidents or observations)
considerations

Privacy/disclosure actions have a strong
strategic component.
Instead: Strategic disclosure
Instead: Cost/benefit analysis
Instead: Impression Management
Instead: Adaptation and Change
Thank you! Questions?
By Zeynep Tufekci
Assistant Professor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Twitter: @techsoc
zeynep@unc.edu