Tuesday 25 June 2019

Revealing the relationship between rational fatalism and the online privacy paradox.

an article by Wenjing Xie (Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA) and Amy Fowler-Dawson and Anita Tvauri (Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL, USA) published in Behaviour & Information Technology Volume 38 Issue 7 (2019)

Abstract

Previous research has revealed the privacy paradox, which suggests that despite concern about their online privacy, people still reveal a large amount of personal information and don’t take measures to protect personal privacy online.

Using data from a national-wide survey, this study takes a psychological approach and uses the rational fatalism theory to explain the privacy paradox on the Internet and the social networking sites (SNSs). The rational fatalism theory argues that risks will become rational if the person believes he or she has no control over the outcome.

Our results support the rational fatalism view. We found that people with higher levels of fatalistic belief about technologies and business are less likely to protect their privacy on the Internet in general, and the SNS in particular.

Moreover, such relationship is stronger among young Internet users compared with older users.


No comments: