Social Media PrivacyFletcher McNair12/11/2014IM 260

Research Goals

• Research the current state of social media privacy.

• Survey IM 260 students and establish their social media usage habits.

• Determine an accurate depiction of young adults social media use and establish their privacy concerns.

Social Media Users

Use SMDo Not Use SM

Research Methods

• Obtain, study, and document scholarly sources.o Scour SCSU library website.o Find ten books and ten articles, as current as possible.o Scan sources, research sources via the web, and select most

relevant.o Write, edit and finalize annotated bibliography.

• Survey & Infographico Build, proof, and distribute survey amongst IM 260 students.o Collate results.o Build infographic that reflects survey results.

Issues and Resolutions

• Students did not take survey in a timely manner.

• Survey link emailed to class list multiple times.

• Not all survey questions answered.

• Upon compilation of results, additional questions needed.

• Test out questions before survey distribution.

Survey Results

Series1

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

5%

Ages Surveyed

30+22-2518-21

Survey Results

PC Smart Phone0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Social Media Access Mediums

SM Users

Survey Results

Social Media Access Mediums

Safe

Not Safe

Relitively Safe

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Level of Trust Felt

social media users

Monitoring

Stalking

Advertising

ID Theft

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Main Privacy Concerns

social media users

Questions that did not survey well.

• How much time do you spend using social media?o This question provided relevant but unnecessary data.

• Asking respondents to list negative experiences did not test well.o Most respondents did not answer this question.o Multiple choice question would have been a better choice. o Unable to compile useable data from answers I did receive.

Conclusion

• No one has fully read a privacy policy. o Convenience is valued more than privacy.o Majority of respondents unconcerned with privacy policies. o Respondents expressed privacy concerns in other areas.

• Smart phones are the most popular medium to access social media.o Cellphones are essentially tracking devices we pay to use.o Many users do not adjust their default settings.o Identity theft is the largest concern.