Publicação
Understanding the Social Media Benefits: Impact of User Exposure to Data Collection Practices
| Resumo: | Social media is used by millions of people worldwide and generates vast amounts of data daily. Its extensive adoption can mostly be attributed to the benefits it offers to its users. However, providing these benefits requires extensive data collection, which in turn gives rise to emerging privacy concerns. Therefore, it becomes essential to understand how users’ realization of these data practices, and the potential implications they carry, can influence their perception of social media benefits. To explore this relationship, an experimental study was conducted with a sample of 245 participants, randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 139) or a treatment group (n = 106). The results indicate that awareness of data collection practices significantly influences users’ perceived benefits of social media. Furthermore, the findings reveal that privacy concerns mediate this relationship, while socio-demographic factors, particularly age, play a moderating role. |
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| Autores principais: | Santos, Matilde Galego Pimentel Gomes dos |
| Assunto: | Social media Perceived benefits Privacy Concerns Data collection realization SDG 3 - Good health and well-being SDG 4 - Quality education SDG 9 - Industry, innovation and infrastructure SDG 10 - Reduced inequalities SDG 12 - Responsible production and consumption |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | Social media is used by millions of people worldwide and generates vast amounts of data daily. Its extensive adoption can mostly be attributed to the benefits it offers to its users. However, providing these benefits requires extensive data collection, which in turn gives rise to emerging privacy concerns. Therefore, it becomes essential to understand how users’ realization of these data practices, and the potential implications they carry, can influence their perception of social media benefits. To explore this relationship, an experimental study was conducted with a sample of 245 participants, randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 139) or a treatment group (n = 106). The results indicate that awareness of data collection practices significantly influences users’ perceived benefits of social media. Furthermore, the findings reveal that privacy concerns mediate this relationship, while socio-demographic factors, particularly age, play a moderating role. |
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