In September 2012 Facebook welcomed the one billionth user and can therefore be entitled as the current biggest social interaction platform worldwide. With growing success since its launch in February 2004 questions about privacy security for user data became a growing issue as well. With expanding user numbers these questions seem to become louder than ever.
During the years the Facebook has been on international focus for several privacy flaws for instance in 2005 for not encrypting users’ passwords, in 2006 for publishing every single friend activity without any restriction possibilities in a news feed on the personal start page or in 2007 the implementation of a platform for applications by third-party suppliers.
In academic treatments about privacy made so far mainly Facebook itself was putted on the spot and accused of violating their user’s privacy. The social network giant was blamed to treat their user’s privacy too carelessly and to make the matter worse Facebook became more and more commercial – with personal data as currency. The start of showing presence at the stock market in 2011 was just the logical consequence of this new company policy.
The two latest critic points Facebook needed to defend for were the standard settings for the privacy interface within the context of the new timeline optic and the latest change in Facebook privacy terms. Both changes happened in 2012. After doing some first superficial research it seemed like there is no academic study so far that does not focus on Facebook as a company in charge regarding this matter. But one could wonder if the users themselves are in charge as well. Are we exhausting our options to protect our private data on Facebook? While Facebook’s privacy flaws are well examined, relatively little literature is available on how much users know and care about these issues. My assumption is that most of the users aren’t doing much about the assumed lack of privacy beyond venting about it.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Phase 1: Forming a Research Question
- Phase 2: Literature Review
- Phase 3: Theory Framework of Research Design
- Quantitative Approach
- Phase 4: Target Group
- Phase 5: Choosing the Methodology
- Ethical Concerns
- Phase 6: Survey
- Phase 7: Data analysis, Interpretation and Presentation
- Phase 8: Limitation
- Problems with the methodology
- Problems with the research question
- Problems with the target group
- Phase 9: Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This research project examines Facebook users' awareness of privacy issues, the risks of using Facebook and their responsibility or media competence in handling these issues. Specifically, it focuses on Facebook users' understanding of privacy settings within the platform and their interaction with Facebook's official privacy policies and terms. The project also explores users' general understanding and information level regarding privacy issues. Key themes include:- Facebook user awareness of privacy issues
- The impact of Facebook's privacy settings on users' data protection
- The role of media competence in navigating Facebook's privacy features
- The risks associated with using Facebook and the potential for unintentional information disclosure
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Abstract: This chapter introduces the research project and provides background information on Facebook's growth, privacy concerns, and the lack of academic research focusing on user responsibility in data protection.
- Introduction: This chapter outlines the research project's scope, focusing on Facebook users' awareness of privacy issues, their interaction with the platform's privacy settings, and the role of media competence in this context.
- Phase 1: Forming a Research Question: This chapter discusses the importance of research questions and hypotheses in guiding a research study, highlighting the differences between qualitative and quantitative research approaches. It also presents the main hypothesis of this research project, which posits that the unintentional revelation of private information on Facebook stems from user choices due to a lack of media competence in navigating the platform's features.
- Phase 2: Literature Review: This chapter explores previous research and publications on Facebook's privacy issues, highlighting concerns about data collection, privacy violations, and the company's public statements regarding user privacy. It references relevant studies and news reports that shed light on the complexities of user privacy in the context of social media platforms.
- Phase 3: Theory Framework of Research Design: This chapter discusses the theoretical framework and research design employed in the study, emphasizing the quantitative approach and its suitability for gathering extensive data on user behaviors and attitudes.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This research project examines Facebook privacy, media competence, data protection, user awareness, privacy settings, social media, and quantitative research. The project aims to understand how Facebook users' media competence influences their understanding and use of privacy settings, highlighting the potential for unintentional data disclosure and the need for greater user awareness in navigating online platforms.- Quote paper
- Stefanie Groß (Author), 2012, Media Competence regarding Facebook Privacy Settings, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/208423
