Friends only: examining a privacy-enhancing behavior in facebook

Privacy practices in social network sites often appear paradoxical, as content-sharing behavior stands in conflict with the need to reduce disclosure-related harms. In this study we explore privacy in social network sites as a contextual information practice, managed by a process of boundary regulation. Drawing on a sample survey of undergraduate Facebook users, we examine a particular privacy-enhancing practice: having a friends-only Facebook profile. Particularly, we look at the association between network composition, expectancy violations, interpersonal privacy practices and having a friends-only profile. We find that expectancy violations by weak ties and increased levels of interpersonal privacy management are positively associated with having a friends-only profile. We conclude with a discussion of how these findings may be integrated into the design of systems to facilitate interaction while enhancing individual privacy. Author Keywords Social network sites, social networking,...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Fred Stutzman, Jacob Kramer-Duffield
• Keywords: CHI 2010, Human Computer Interaction, Privacy, Privacy Practices, Social Network Sites