Research project [funded by DFG]:
“The diffusion of the media innovation Web 2.0: Determinants and effects from a user’s perspective”
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

Background
• Social Web / Web 2.0: variety of different applications, but based on the
same principles (“user-generated content“, “architecture of participation“)
• Social Web requires users to disclose information
• Heightened self-disclosure in computer-mediated-communication
(e. g. Joinson 2001, Tidwell/Walther 2002, Suler 2004)
• Self-disclosure =
“the telling of the previously unknown so that it becomes shared knowledge“
(Joinson et al. 2008)
“the process of making the self known to others“ (Jourard/Lasakow 1958)
• Privacy cost on users
• Growing concerns about the reasonable handling of
personal information in the Social Web
What influences the self-disclosure of Social Web users?

Method
• 5 Focus Groups with semi-active and active users
• Recruiting participants
Via flyers in households in Stuttgart, blogs, and web forums
Screening via web survey
• 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
• Participants
30 males, 16 females, aged between 18 and 44 years, different levels of education

To give an impression:
“I like to present myself, I wanna show who I am.“
“I wouldn‘t just think of possible
consequences. […] I‘m not aware of it.
Actually, the current discussion gives me a
“I don‘t disclose any private
reality check.“
pictures about me, I‘d never
upload a photoalbum of my last
holiday! … Only party pictures.“
“Well, I upload pictures, including pictures not
adequate for HR managers. …. If I do it,
hopefully noone else does it. […] And if I delete
it, it‘s gone.“
“No Saturday-night-drunk-in-the-ditch-picture.“

Results
1) Level of Activity
Active users = high level of disclosure:
Personal information (names, addresses, pictures):
“Why shouldn‘t I reveal my real name?“
“I do have a XING account, but I use it rarely. I just have this account, that‘s it. I‘m using my studiVZ account
frequently, a lot of my friends use it as well. I have uploaded at least 200, 300 pictures, then
I‘ve linked on about another 100 or so. And that way, we do a lot of picture exchanges, too. “
Thoughts and opinions:
“I read a lot and if I find something I think ‚okay, that‘s nonsense, absolutely not
correct‘, he gets my opinion via trackback. That‘s it.“
Experiences:
“I rather report afterwards than write about my future activities. I wouldn‘t have written
‚hey, I will be there and there the day after tomorrow‘ into my blog, but maybe I‘ll write next week that I‘ve been
here.“

Results
1) Level of Activity
Semi-active users = low(er) level of disclosure:
don‘t write into it. I just don‘t feel like it. Too time-consuming. And it will get me nowhere.“
“Well, I
You
“But you can register with any name. You don‘t 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 doesn‘t want to.“
“I personally don‘t do it [comment and generate content], but I think this is very
very important.“
I wouldn‘t have the
“I‘m wondering why someone would write a blog. […] That‘s kind of… I don‘t know,
idea to do so. Because I think I better could discuss things in real life.“
Active users high(er) level of disclosure
Semi-active users low(er) level of disclosure

Results
1) Level of Activity
I use my nickname, apart from that
\"In forums, discussion forums, elsewhere, I use my avatar,
noone knows anything. I‘m personally non existent in the Internet.“
“I‘m often under my real name… or always. And I only use my regular e-mail-address. I haven‘t
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‘ve quitted doing something else.“
“At least for a rough impression, that I know who I‘m dealing with. Okay, many pictures are faked, that‘s another
story. I publish at least a profile photo, doesn‘t matter where. A picture of my face,
identifiable, so that everyone knows who I am. That‘s just part of the game!“
Active users high(er) level of disclosure
Semi-active users low(er) level of disclosure

Results
2) Privacy Concerns
Privacy worriers = low level of disclosure / no disclosure:
“I only read blogs, I don‘t post anything. I don‘t want do disclose private information.“
“Well, I disclose those information I would tell someone at the trainstation while
waiting for the train. That‘s really not too much.“
“Some day I passed on to let only my friends see my profile. In the beginning, I didn‘t
care about it, but it‘s 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.“
Privacy unworriers = … :
“I find it annoying to mind it. I don‘t care at all who‘s interested in my life, I‘ve nothing to hide.“
“May be I‘m a little bit naive, but I think that this recent hype ‚Oh my god, they want to abuse our data‘ is much
overweighted. I don‘t 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?“

Results
3) Trustworthiness of Application
Depends on
• “how it looks like“
“I‘m often under my real name… or always. And I only use my regular e-mail-address. I haven‘t 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.“
• the reputation
“I‘m 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, I‘ll have a closer
look on it and maybe I‘ll register. But then I use it very intensely.“
• the habitualization of use
“I believe there‘s a lower inhibition threshold in studiVZ, because you are used to
everything. You already know a lot of people, it‘s a cosy atmosphere. You log in regularly,
then you just know everything and are less concerned. Who‘d be concerned about any
uncertainties at home? I wouldn‘t. I feel comfortable [in studiVZ].“

Results
4) Social Context
Peer-group pressure strongly influences level of use and disclosure.
“I only register if I know someone there. Especially studiVZ or something like that. To get to know
someone in the Internet, that‘s difficult for me. That‘s why I register nowhere.“
“If you aren‘t a member in a SNS you are completely socially excluded. I can talk
about myself: If I wasn‘t a user of all these SNS I would have no opportunity to keep in touch with all the people I
don‘t call. Several people directly asked me to join a network. That‘s 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 you‘re not ‚in‘, you don‘t have any chance to get these information.
applications like that you have the advance to be socially integrated.“
Why doesn‘t he do
“Well, if someone doesn‘t do it, unlike everyone else, he‘d fall in a special category:
it? That‘s ominious. I think you definitely can use it – and that safely.“

Results
5) (Expected) Benefits
Expectations of benefits strongly influence level of usage and disclosure.
“I don‘t like it, but I value the service and the functions more, so I abandon a
piece of privacy.“
“Too much effort to write something. And it doesn‘t yield anything, at least nothing for
myself.“
“This would be totally ridiculous: Why should I rate something? I mean… what for?“
“I 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 it‘s
easier.“

Results
6) Data Management Possibilities
I disclose information, private information and pictures and what‘s going on my life, but
“On Facebook,
I do it secured that only my friends can have a look at it.“
7) Impression Management
“Blog, that means one is talking, many are listening. You can comment, but it‘s always related to the original
article. Bloggers are the people of Speaker‘s Corner, people who were standing in
the park and making their speeches.“
8) Awareness
“I think younger people show a higher self-disclosure. They just don‘t 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 doesn‘t think about it. That‘s later on, I‘ve 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.“

Conclusions
Activity
Privacy
concerns Personal
information
Benefits
Social
context
Self- Thoughts and
opinions
Disclosure
Trustworthiness
Data
management
Impression
Experiences
management
Awareness

Conclusions
• Limitations:
Reported behaviour
No standardized evaluation
Factors missing
• Next steps:
Web survey with 3.000 participants in May 2009
Evaluation of self-disclosing behaviour and influencing factors
• Web-Researcher-Blog: http://webresearcherblog.wordpress.com/

Thank you for your attention!
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2007/06/variations-on-t.html
monika.taddicken@uni-hohenheim.de