PRIVACY AND SELF-DISCLOSURE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF FACEBOOK USE AMONG SENIOR CITIZENS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

In Singapore, the push to be a technologically advanced city in the world coupled with an ageing population needs to ensure that senior citizens are not left out in their use of the Internet and Social Networking Sites (SNS). As an increasing number of senior citizens adopt the use of Facebook in Singapore, concerns about privacy and the protection of personal data are also on the rise. While privacy and self-disclosure literature in the context of SNS is well established, no formal research has investigated the context of Singaporean senior citizens and their Facebook use. Thus, this study attempts to examine their privacy concerns in using Facebook and the effects on self-disclosure, and also fills the literature gap by investigating the motivations and the ways in which senior citizens in Singapore regulate their privacy. In-depth interviews were conducted among 30 Singaporean senior citizens aged 60– 76 years old, and the qualitative study found that the senior citizens were most concerned about unintended information exposure, and the misuse of information. Although these privacy concerns led to less self-disclosing activity, the extent of the effect was limited by the benefits of self-disclosure. Next, senior citizens’ motivations in privacy protection were influenced by their efficacy and threat perceptions. For the measures employed to mitigate privacy concerns, participants were found to be limiting information, and restricting the exposure of information. The findings of the study are in line with the Privacy Calculus Theory and Privacy Motivation Theory, which are applicable even with the study’s focus on senior citizens in Singapore. The implications of the findings on privacy literacy education are also discussed.