Overcoming information privacy concerns: Learning from three disclosure contexts.

摘要

Advances in information technology have amplified issues related to privacy and the disclosure of personal information. New technologies have enabled an explosion in the amount and variety of information created, stored, and potentially shared about people, and there has been a corresponding explosion in privacy-related concerns and conversations in academic and non-academic forums. This dissertation contributes to one such conversation, adding to our understanding of the mechanisms that shape individuals' privacy concerns in the context of disclosure of personal information. Individuals must overcome their information privacy concerns in order for personal information disclosure to take place, but the mechanisms surrounding this process are highly dependent on the context of disclosure. Accordingly, this research seeks to build understanding around the ways in which privacy concerns are mitigated or counterbalanced in three different disclosure contexts.;Essay 1, positioned in the e-commerce context, contributes uniquely to an emerging stream of disclosure research that considers irrationality within the privacy disclosure decision process. Essay 2 is focused on a less frequently examined disclosure context---online social networks---and examines the tension between individuals' privacy concerns and their desire for social benefits and personal expression, focusing especially on the social network technology's ability to support impression management behavior. Finally, Essay 3 examines the mitigation of privacy concerns in the context of involuntary disclosure---increasingly common in the modern online environment---wherein the primary goal is to reduce concerns or anxiety regarding the information already disclosed.;In comparing disclosure processes across these contexts, this research provides insights regarding consistencies and distinctions among the different domains. Insights gained, both within and across these contexts, are valuable to both privacy researchers and professional stakeholders.