Dynamics of privacy paradox on social media platforms

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isbn9789526428666.pdf (1.26 MB)

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School of Electrical Engineering | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2025-12-15
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Date

2025

Department

Informaatio- ja tietoliikennetekniikan laitos
Department of Information and Communications Engineering

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Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

68 + app. 74

Series

Aalto University publication series Doctoral Theses, 244/2025

Abstract

People use social media to achieve particular gratifications despite expressing concerns about the related privacy risks that may lead to negative consequences. This inconsistency between privacy concerns and actual behaviour has been referred to as the privacy paradox. Although several possible explanations for this phenomenon have been provided over the years, they are based on studies that have used cross-sectional approaches, which overlook the changes taking place over time. More specifically, previous privacy paradox studies have used mainly (1) surveys, which rely on self-reported behaviour that often differs from actual behaviour, and (2) experiments, which often fail to recreate a realistic context. However, actual behaviour unfolds in a dynamic manner (i.e. over time) and therefore cannot be fully explained by cross-sectional approaches. To overcome these limitations, this dissertation focuses on the dynamics of privacy paradox on social media platforms and employs the system dynamics modelling methodology to incorporate existing privacy knowledge into qualitative models, which are useful in understanding causal dependencies without involving simulation experiments, as well as simulation models, which are useful in illustrating complex emergent behaviour over time through simulation experiments. The key findings of this dissertation can be summarised as follows. The privacy paradox emerges because the privacy obstacles prevent users from adequately accounting for the negative consequences related to social media in the beginning. As such, by the time negative consequences become apparent, and therefore the paradox emerges, gratifications from and social pressure towards adopting and using social media have grown too high for users to consider discarding (i.e. the boiling frog syndrome). In addition, the privacy paradox (1) is highly likely to emerge from the social pressure created by the least concerned minorities favouring privacy-careless platforms and (2) can be at least partially resolved from the social pressure created by the most concerned minorities favouring privacy-respecting platforms.

Description

Supervising professor

Mähönen, Petri, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Information and Communications Engineering, Finland

Thesis advisor

Kortesniemi, Yki, Dr., Aalto University, Department of Information and Communications Engineering, Finland
Ruutu, Sampsa, Dr., Aalto University, Department of Information and Communications Engineering, Finland

Keywords

digital platforms, privacy, privacy obstacles, privacy paradox, social media, system dynamics

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Parts

  • [Publication 1]: Ektor Arzoglou, Yki Kortesniemi, Sampsa Ruutu, Tommi Elo. Privacy Paradox in Social Media: A System Dynamics Analysis. In Computational Science–ICCS 2022: 22nd International Conference, pp. 651–666, London, UK, June 21–23, 2022.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202301181157
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-08751-6_47 View at publisher
  • [Publication 2]: Ektor Arzoglou, Yki Kortesniemi, Sampsa Ruutu, Tommi Elo. The Role of Privacy Obstacles in Privacy Paradox: A System Dynamics Analysis. Systems, vol. 11, iss. 4, pp. 205–232, April 19, 2023.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202304262845
    DOI: 10.3390/systems11040205 View at publisher
  • [Publication 3]: Ektor Arzoglou, Tommi Elo, Pekka Nikander. The Case of iOS and Android: Applying System Dynamics to Digital Business Platforms. In Computational Science–ICCS 2019: 19th International Conference, pp. 499–506, Faro, Portugal, June 12–14, 2019.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-201908154685
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-22750-0_43 View at publisher
  • [Publication 4]: Ektor Arzoglou, Yki Kortesniemi. Alternative Platforms and Privacy Paradox: A System Dynamics Analysis. In Computational Science–ICCS 2023: 23rd International Conference, pp. 163–176, Prague, Czech Republic, July 3–5, 2023.
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-35995-8_12 View at publisher

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https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-64-2866-6

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[diss] Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu / ELEC