Shaping Digital Identities in Social Networks: Data Elements and the Role of Privacy Concerns

摘要

Individuals today shape a digital identity through which they "introduce" themselves to others in Social Network Sites (SNS). SNS embody features that enable users to customize their digital identity at will and to disclose desirable elements of their personality. The processes by which users shape their digital identity through information disclosure are largely unknown, including the role of privacy concerns. In this paper we identify the data elements that users consider important for shaping their digital identity in SNS and how privacy concerns shape this process. In order to explore the above, we conducted an online survey research with 759 participants. Our findings reveal the elements that users consider as important for shaping their digital identity. They also demonstrate that users' privacy concerns do not seem to affect the amount of information users choose to publish when shaping their digital identity. Finally, we show that particular characteristics of social networking platforms affect the way that users shape their digital identity and privacy behavior.