Linked by age: a study on social media privacy concerns among younger and older adults
Industrial Management & Data Systems
ISSN: 0263-5577
Article publication date: 4 December 2023
Issue publication date: 30 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the similarities and differences in privacy attitudes, trust and risk beliefs between younger and older adults on social networking sites. The objective of the article is to ascertain whether any notable differences exist between younger (18–25 years old) and older (55+ years old) adults in how trust and risk are influenced by privacy concerns upon personal information disclosure on social media.
Design/methodology/approach
A Likert scale instrument validated in previous research was employed to gather the responses of 148 younger and 152 older adults. The scale was distributed through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Data were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling.
Findings
No significant differences were found between younger and older adults in how social media privacy concerns related to trust and risk beliefs. Two privacy concern dimensions were found to have a significant influence on perceptions of risk for both populations: collection and control. Predictability and a sense of control are proposed as two conceptual approaches that can explain these findings.
Originality/value
This article is the first one to explore age differences in privacy concerns, trust and risk on social media employing conceptual developments and an instrument specifically tailored to the social media environment. Based on the findings, several strategies are suggested to keep privacy concerns on social media at a minimum, reduce risk perceptions and increase users' trust.
Keywords
Citation
Goyeneche, D., Singaraju, S. and Arango, L. (2024), "Linked by age: a study on social media privacy concerns among younger and older adults", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 124 No. 2, pp. 640-665. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-07-2023-0462
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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