Examining priming and gender as a means to reduce risk in a social networking context: Can stories change disclosure and privacy setting use when personal profiles are constructed?

The objective of this study was to examine whether content of Facebook profiles differed as a function of priming story and gender. Disclosure of personal information and the use of privacy settings when constructing Facebook profiles were assessed when participants were or were not provided with priming stories that would alert them to potential risks from information sharing on the Internet. Participants read one of three priming stories (anecdotal, legal or neutral), prior to constructing a profile for either a male or female. The anecdotal story described a stalking incident, while the legal story summarized a ‘typical’ online privacy statement. Previously established scoring tools were used to assess disclosure and privacy settings use (see Nosko, Wood, & Molema, 2010). Overall, gender was an important predictor for disclosure. Females disclosed less sensitive information than males after reading the anecdotal privacy story. Less disclosure also was found when participants constructed a profile for someone of the same gender. Disclosure of particular pieces of information also differed by gender of the discloser. Very few participants employed privacy settings. The impact for these outcomes is discussed in terms of their ability to potentially inhibit over-disclosure in personal profiles and to identify users who are at particular risk.

► We examined disclosure and privacy settings in profiles made for another person. ► Reading an anecdotal privacy invasion story resulted in less disclosure. ► Less disclosure was found for profiles made for someone of the same gender. ► Disclosure of specific content differed by gender of the discloser. ► Few participants employed privacy settings.