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.
Table of Contents
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Phase 1: Forming a Research Question
4. Phase 2: Literature Review
4.1 Theoretical Approach
5. Phase 3: Theory Framework of Research Design
5.1 Quantitative Approach
6. Phase 4: Target Group
7. Phase 5: Choosing the Methodology
7.1 Ethical Concerns
8. Phase 6: Survey
9. Phase 7: Data analysis, Interpretation and Presentation
10. Phase 8: Limitation
10.1 Problems with the methodology
10.2 Problems with the research question
10.3 Problems with the target group
11. Phase 9: Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This research project aims to investigate the level of media competence among Facebook users regarding privacy settings and their awareness of risks associated with personal data disclosure. The study seeks to determine whether users possess the necessary knowledge and critical faculties to effectively manage their privacy, or if their behaviors are influenced by a lack of competence rather than mere negligence.
- Analysis of user awareness regarding Facebook's privacy interface and terms.
- Evaluation of media competence based on the theoretical framework of Dieter Baake.
- Investigation of the relationship between perceived benefits (Uses and Gratifications theory) and privacy protection.
- Assessment of current user behaviors and their ability to configure privacy settings correctly.
Excerpt from the Book
Theoretical Approach
The term media competence was brought up several times in this report already. As it is a key phrase it must necessarily be defined. For that reason I’d like to refer to a common psychological definition the Zurich University of Applied Sciences gave in a brochure with the title Frequently asked questions about opportunities and risks with media. They say media competence means to deal with media in a consciously but primarily responsible way. This includes the knowledge about how to satisfy own needs throughout the media but also the critical analysis of own media behavior.
This refers to a complex concept of media competence that has been originally defined by the German educationalist Dieter Baake who in turn combined the Habermas’ concept of communicative competence and Chomsky’s one of linguistic competence. “According to Baake media competence is the basic competence of human kind. It consists of the capacity of using different types of media as communication tools and activity of understanding the world.” Furthermore he identifies four aspects of media competence: critics of media, knowledge of the media, the use of media and the organization of media.
At that point it is important to go into detail with the definition because media competence is one of the main variables that needs to be measured somehow.
Summary of Chapters
Abstract: Provides a historical overview of Facebook's growth and privacy-related controversies, highlighting the initial assumption that users may lack the competence to protect their private data.
Introduction: Defines the scope of the study, focusing specifically on Facebook privacy settings while excluding third-party applications and secondary sharing features.
Phase 1: Forming a Research Question: Outlines the research hypothesis, proposing that unintentional data disclosure occurs because the average user lacks sufficient media competence.
Phase 2: Literature Review: Synthesizes previous academic studies and reports, such as those from Privacy International and Columbia University, to establish the current state of privacy discourse.
Phase 3: Theory Framework of Research Design: Describes the selection of a quantitative methodology as the most appropriate approach to verify the research hypotheses.
Phase 4: Target Group: Justifies the selection of a focus group based on the median age of Facebook users and the pedagogical concept of "Digital Natives."
Phase 5: Choosing the Methodology: Discusses the implementation of a descriptive online survey, including an overview of ethical considerations regarding respondent anonymity and data security.
Phase 6: Survey: Explains the survey design process, the structure of questions, and the strategy to ensure measurable results regarding media competence.
Phase 7: Data analysis, Interpretation and Presentation: Presents the findings from the survey, analyzing respondent behavior regarding their privacy settings and self-evaluation.
Phase 8: Limitation: Critically evaluates the study's constraints, including sample size limitations, technical issues during data collection, and the complexity of measuring media competence.
Phase 9: Conclusion: Concludes that the primary issue is a lack of media education rather than inherent incompetence, as users often prioritize platform benefits over privacy.
Keywords
Facebook, Privacy Settings, Media Competence, Digital Natives, Data Protection, Online Privacy, Survey Methodology, User Behavior, Information Security, Social Media, Privacy Risks, Uses and Gratifications, Data Disclosure, Internet Literacy, Privacy Awareness
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research focuses on the intersection of media competence and Facebook users' ability to effectively navigate and manage their privacy settings to protect personal data.
What are the central themes of the work?
The central themes include user awareness of privacy risks, the influence of interface design on user behavior, the definition of media competence, and the trade-off between perceived social benefits and privacy protection.
What is the primary research question or goal?
The primary goal is to determine if Facebook users are truly incompetent at protecting their private data or if other factors, such as complex interface design and lack of media education, contribute to privacy vulnerabilities.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The study employs a quantitative research design, specifically utilizing a descriptive online survey to gather and analyze data from a sample of Facebook users.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the theoretical definition of media competence, a review of existing literature on Facebook privacy, the research design and methodology, data analysis of survey responses, and a discussion of the study's limitations.
Which keywords characterize this paper?
The paper is characterized by terms such as Facebook, Privacy Settings, Media Competence, Digital Natives, Data Protection, and Online Privacy.
Why did the author use a quantitative survey for this topic?
The author chose a quantitative survey to obtain clear, measurable results that are less influenced by researcher subjectivity and to align with prior research in this field that successfully utilized similar methods.
What conclusion does the author draw regarding "Digital Natives"?
The author concludes that while "Digital Natives" are highly skilled in using the internet, they still struggle with the high-level demands of managing privacy in new media environments, indicating a need for better media education.
- Quote paper
- Stefanie Groß (Author), 2012, Media Competence regarding Facebook Privacy Settings, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/208423
