Information Visualizations as a Tool to Study Users’ Social Media Privacy Concerns

Abstract

The amount and complexity of data that can be accessed from social media has been increasing exponentially. We examine the value of using information visualizations as a tool to study people’s attitudes and perceptions regarding their social media data being used by third parties. In the context of using social media to screen job applicants, we investigate the role of visualizations in studying users’ social media privacy concerns. Utilizing an online survey of 454 participants, we compare participants’ comfort levels in relation to different types of publicly accessible social media data. The results partially support the supposition that analytical information based on some form of data analysis will receive a stronger reaction when accompanied by representative visualizations.