A Phenomenological Investigation of Social Networking Site Privacy Awareness through a Media Literacy Lens

Abstract

This research study focused on the social networking site (SNS) awareness of undergraduate students, examining their experiences through the type and extent of the information shared on their SNSs in order to discover the students' experiences with SNS privacy. A phenomenological research approach was used to interview eight undergraduate to explore the question, "what is the nature of undergraduate students' social networking privacy?" Each recorded interview lasted up to one hour in duration and was transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that all of the participants were aware of their online privacy, but each had different views about protecting it. The participants that "shared" demographic information on SNSs wanted to be seen and were not worried about their privacy being violated. The participants who were worried about their privacy being violated by someone physically locating them still felt comfortable sharing their personal information. Participants shared at least one type of information about themselves on a SNS but also developed their own settings to protect parts of their privacy.