Samenvatting NMC – begrippen colleges en belangrijke punten artikelen
Lecture 1: Utopian vs. Dystopian view (Martin Tanis)
Utopia: community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities
for its citizen.
Functions in media:
- Optimism about the future
- Strong belief in technological development
- Push to invest in technological developments
- Cultural change toward individuation and individual empowerment
Dystopia: community or society that is undesirable or frightening
Lecture 2: An introduction to privacy (Martin Tanis)
Privacy: Privacy has many forms, and has many influences how we think about privacy.
Privacy is defined by cultures and culture differences and also time (it changes over time)
Three theoretical perspectives:
- Westin (1967): Political-scientific approach: privacy in interaction with others
Important for us as individuals
- Altman (1975): Psychological approach: privacy for the self (wellbeing and identity
regulation)
How people deal with all of these things? How privacy can help you to develop as a
person, and how it can help you as an individual
- Petronio (2002): Communication approach – privacy as information ownership and
sharing
Westin: privacy as a basic need
Privacy is a basic need which helps us adjust to day-to-day interpersonal interactions.
Privacy : ‘’the claim of individuals, groups or institutions to determine for themselves
when, how and to what extent information about them is communicated to others”
Privacy has different functions, four purposes and four states.
Purposes of privacy: (according to Westin)
- Personal Autonomy: not being manipulated
- Emotional Release: freedom from roles and outside expectations
- Self-Evaluation: Freedom to think, process information and make plans
- Limited and Protected Boundaries: ability to limit who has access to what
information
Four states of privacy:
The ability to withdraw from society, the right to remain anonymous.
- Solitude: no observation from others
- Reserve: the right not to share some information, respected by others.
- Intimacy: small group of people with a strong bond
- Anonymity: the right not to be identified
,Altman: selective control of access to self
The Privacy Regulation Theory: Helps understanding why individuals alternate between
states of sociality and solitude.
So: Why do people regulate their privacy? Why and how regulate people their privacy in
being more or less open about their selves?
How do people control what they share with others and what not?
Five elements of privacy:
- Dynamic Process: individuals regulate what they (do or not) want to share
differently from that of their community/family.
- Individual vs Group levels and the difference: individuals perceive their own
privacy differently from that of their community/family.
- Desired vs Actual Level of Privacy: desired level of privacy might be lower/higher
than the one that other individuals have in the given context. Relates to Westin
here, people should have control of their privacy.
- Non-Monotonic: there is such a thing as both too much and not sufficient privacy.
“The stranger on the train’’: you tell your personal story to a stranger on the train,
the fact that you are with a person that you don’t have a private/intimate
relationship with can feel liberated.
- By-Directional (Inwards and Outwards): If someone is invading my privacy, I can
think about this completely differently when I’m invading someone elses privacy.
Individuals might have different sensitivities for their actions towards others’
privacy and others’ actions towards them. (Example overhearing someone in a
restaurant)
Petronio: Communication Privacy Management
Original name: Communication Boundary Management Privacy: “the selective control of
access to the self” (Altman, 1975)
We need to regulate boundaries we put between ourselves and others. The ability to
regulate these boundaries, is very important. It can be a boundary protecting what I do
online without other people interfering, it can be a boundary around me and another
person, or a group of people.
How do we manage our privacy? From physical privacy to information privacy. Less about
physical privacy (sharing things) and more about information privacy.
The Context Collapse: the “Flattening out of multiple distinct audiences in one’s social
network, such that people from different contexts become part of a singular group of
message recipients.”
This means that while audiences online are diverse and complex, the information users
share, tends to present a single, individual identity. We treat our audience as one single
group with the same identity. We have this idea that when we post something online,
we don’t know who’s watching. Estimating our audience size is also something we find
difficult.
Readings lecture 2
Introduction to online privacy – Wather J.
The issue with social media: the more you disclose, the more the platform has to offer, but
the more risk at a privacy breach
,Online is replacing offline à creates a psychological privacy rather than informational
privacy.
If internet users believe that they communicate privately online, than it might be
unethical and illegal to analyze their messages for research purposes.
Privacy threathening aspects:
- Persistence (=vasthoudendheid): it stays online forever
- Searchability: everyone can search and find your posts
- Exact copyability: everyone can copy you or your posts
- Invisible audiences: you don’t know who’s watching
Self-disclosure in social media – Bazarova & Choi
Self-disclosure: the act of revealing personal info to others à intentional: verbally
describing yourself, experiences or feelings.
Pro’s and cons of self-disclosure:
+ Fulfills fundamental need for social connectedness and belonging
+ Intrinsically rewarding
- Risk of vulnerability
- Information loss (giving up privacy/personal info)
Disclosure reward – risk ratio:
1. Establish a boundary
+ Minimizes vulnerability and personal information risk
+ Satisfies desired goals and motivations
2. Interaction with a stranger
+ Doesn’t have access to social circle
+ No future interaction is expected
Why is it important for people to self-disclose?
- Social validation: increases social approval, acceptance and general liking
- Self-expression: relieves distress through letting out negative emotions and
problems
- Relational development: increases relational intimacy and becoming closer to
another person
- Identify clarification: provides info about one’s identity and defines your position
for yourself and others
- Social control: strategically share information about yourself to control social
outcomes
Lecture 3: Personalization, privacy and surveillance (Martin Tanis)
Theories of information sharing: Why do we share information?
- Privacy as a commodity (product)
- The Privacy Trade-off
While privacy stays a basic human right (see: Westin) we are progressively more likely to
consider it a commodity (product).
Management of information sharing:
1. Anonimity = Sharing of personal information while concealing a consumer's
identity
, 2. Secrecy = Sharing of little and potentially inaccurate information. Avoid digital
representations of the real self.
3. Confidentiality = Restricted info but highly accurate information.
4. Transparency = Disclose large amount of personal information. Reveal an accurate
representation of the self.
The privacy calculus
Especially in the context of online communication, privacy has been studied not as an
absolute concept, but in economic terms (Smith & al, 2011). This leads to the idea that
before disclosing personal information, users might carefully evaluate benefits and
risks.
The privacy calculus presumes that users make rational economic choices at all time. This
is not true at all times.
Sharing Personal info Benefits:
- Financial Rewards: discounts, earnings, time saved;
- Social Benefits: gaining access to specific groups you like, are important, or are
beneficial to you,like a FB group you would like to join;
- Personalization: personalized offers, validation.
Sharing Risks:
- The likelihood of the risk: the chance that information is “misused”
- The severity of the risk: the consequences of this “misuse”
Privacy Paradox: Users express concerns about their data online --> But this has no
relation to their amount of information sharing. So they are concerned but do nothing
about it.
Surveillance capitalism = Data collection as a process of capital accumulation, with the
purpose to “predict and modify human behavior as a means to produce revenue and
market control”.
Readings lecture 3
The role of privacy fatigue in online privacy behaviour – Choi, H., & Jung Y.
(2021)
Privacy fatigue: wearinesss (vermoeidheid) toward privacy issues, individuals think that
there is no effective way of managing their personal information on the internet.
Two dimensions of the privacy fatigue:
1. Emotional exhaustion: feeling tiredness from having to think about your online
privacy
2. Cynism: feeling sceptical about your online privacy coming from a lack of trust
Results
Hypothesis were true. This means:
- Individuals with higher privacy concern were more likely to protect their privacy
rights
Lecture 1: Utopian vs. Dystopian view (Martin Tanis)
Utopia: community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities
for its citizen.
Functions in media:
- Optimism about the future
- Strong belief in technological development
- Push to invest in technological developments
- Cultural change toward individuation and individual empowerment
Dystopia: community or society that is undesirable or frightening
Lecture 2: An introduction to privacy (Martin Tanis)
Privacy: Privacy has many forms, and has many influences how we think about privacy.
Privacy is defined by cultures and culture differences and also time (it changes over time)
Three theoretical perspectives:
- Westin (1967): Political-scientific approach: privacy in interaction with others
Important for us as individuals
- Altman (1975): Psychological approach: privacy for the self (wellbeing and identity
regulation)
How people deal with all of these things? How privacy can help you to develop as a
person, and how it can help you as an individual
- Petronio (2002): Communication approach – privacy as information ownership and
sharing
Westin: privacy as a basic need
Privacy is a basic need which helps us adjust to day-to-day interpersonal interactions.
Privacy : ‘’the claim of individuals, groups or institutions to determine for themselves
when, how and to what extent information about them is communicated to others”
Privacy has different functions, four purposes and four states.
Purposes of privacy: (according to Westin)
- Personal Autonomy: not being manipulated
- Emotional Release: freedom from roles and outside expectations
- Self-Evaluation: Freedom to think, process information and make plans
- Limited and Protected Boundaries: ability to limit who has access to what
information
Four states of privacy:
The ability to withdraw from society, the right to remain anonymous.
- Solitude: no observation from others
- Reserve: the right not to share some information, respected by others.
- Intimacy: small group of people with a strong bond
- Anonymity: the right not to be identified
,Altman: selective control of access to self
The Privacy Regulation Theory: Helps understanding why individuals alternate between
states of sociality and solitude.
So: Why do people regulate their privacy? Why and how regulate people their privacy in
being more or less open about their selves?
How do people control what they share with others and what not?
Five elements of privacy:
- Dynamic Process: individuals regulate what they (do or not) want to share
differently from that of their community/family.
- Individual vs Group levels and the difference: individuals perceive their own
privacy differently from that of their community/family.
- Desired vs Actual Level of Privacy: desired level of privacy might be lower/higher
than the one that other individuals have in the given context. Relates to Westin
here, people should have control of their privacy.
- Non-Monotonic: there is such a thing as both too much and not sufficient privacy.
“The stranger on the train’’: you tell your personal story to a stranger on the train,
the fact that you are with a person that you don’t have a private/intimate
relationship with can feel liberated.
- By-Directional (Inwards and Outwards): If someone is invading my privacy, I can
think about this completely differently when I’m invading someone elses privacy.
Individuals might have different sensitivities for their actions towards others’
privacy and others’ actions towards them. (Example overhearing someone in a
restaurant)
Petronio: Communication Privacy Management
Original name: Communication Boundary Management Privacy: “the selective control of
access to the self” (Altman, 1975)
We need to regulate boundaries we put between ourselves and others. The ability to
regulate these boundaries, is very important. It can be a boundary protecting what I do
online without other people interfering, it can be a boundary around me and another
person, or a group of people.
How do we manage our privacy? From physical privacy to information privacy. Less about
physical privacy (sharing things) and more about information privacy.
The Context Collapse: the “Flattening out of multiple distinct audiences in one’s social
network, such that people from different contexts become part of a singular group of
message recipients.”
This means that while audiences online are diverse and complex, the information users
share, tends to present a single, individual identity. We treat our audience as one single
group with the same identity. We have this idea that when we post something online,
we don’t know who’s watching. Estimating our audience size is also something we find
difficult.
Readings lecture 2
Introduction to online privacy – Wather J.
The issue with social media: the more you disclose, the more the platform has to offer, but
the more risk at a privacy breach
,Online is replacing offline à creates a psychological privacy rather than informational
privacy.
If internet users believe that they communicate privately online, than it might be
unethical and illegal to analyze their messages for research purposes.
Privacy threathening aspects:
- Persistence (=vasthoudendheid): it stays online forever
- Searchability: everyone can search and find your posts
- Exact copyability: everyone can copy you or your posts
- Invisible audiences: you don’t know who’s watching
Self-disclosure in social media – Bazarova & Choi
Self-disclosure: the act of revealing personal info to others à intentional: verbally
describing yourself, experiences or feelings.
Pro’s and cons of self-disclosure:
+ Fulfills fundamental need for social connectedness and belonging
+ Intrinsically rewarding
- Risk of vulnerability
- Information loss (giving up privacy/personal info)
Disclosure reward – risk ratio:
1. Establish a boundary
+ Minimizes vulnerability and personal information risk
+ Satisfies desired goals and motivations
2. Interaction with a stranger
+ Doesn’t have access to social circle
+ No future interaction is expected
Why is it important for people to self-disclose?
- Social validation: increases social approval, acceptance and general liking
- Self-expression: relieves distress through letting out negative emotions and
problems
- Relational development: increases relational intimacy and becoming closer to
another person
- Identify clarification: provides info about one’s identity and defines your position
for yourself and others
- Social control: strategically share information about yourself to control social
outcomes
Lecture 3: Personalization, privacy and surveillance (Martin Tanis)
Theories of information sharing: Why do we share information?
- Privacy as a commodity (product)
- The Privacy Trade-off
While privacy stays a basic human right (see: Westin) we are progressively more likely to
consider it a commodity (product).
Management of information sharing:
1. Anonimity = Sharing of personal information while concealing a consumer's
identity
, 2. Secrecy = Sharing of little and potentially inaccurate information. Avoid digital
representations of the real self.
3. Confidentiality = Restricted info but highly accurate information.
4. Transparency = Disclose large amount of personal information. Reveal an accurate
representation of the self.
The privacy calculus
Especially in the context of online communication, privacy has been studied not as an
absolute concept, but in economic terms (Smith & al, 2011). This leads to the idea that
before disclosing personal information, users might carefully evaluate benefits and
risks.
The privacy calculus presumes that users make rational economic choices at all time. This
is not true at all times.
Sharing Personal info Benefits:
- Financial Rewards: discounts, earnings, time saved;
- Social Benefits: gaining access to specific groups you like, are important, or are
beneficial to you,like a FB group you would like to join;
- Personalization: personalized offers, validation.
Sharing Risks:
- The likelihood of the risk: the chance that information is “misused”
- The severity of the risk: the consequences of this “misuse”
Privacy Paradox: Users express concerns about their data online --> But this has no
relation to their amount of information sharing. So they are concerned but do nothing
about it.
Surveillance capitalism = Data collection as a process of capital accumulation, with the
purpose to “predict and modify human behavior as a means to produce revenue and
market control”.
Readings lecture 3
The role of privacy fatigue in online privacy behaviour – Choi, H., & Jung Y.
(2021)
Privacy fatigue: wearinesss (vermoeidheid) toward privacy issues, individuals think that
there is no effective way of managing their personal information on the internet.
Two dimensions of the privacy fatigue:
1. Emotional exhaustion: feeling tiredness from having to think about your online
privacy
2. Cynism: feeling sceptical about your online privacy coming from a lack of trust
Results
Hypothesis were true. This means:
- Individuals with higher privacy concern were more likely to protect their privacy
rights
