Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Reed College of Media
Department
Reed College of Media
Committee Chair
Hongmin Ahn
Committee Co-Chair
Nicholas Bowman
Committee Member
Elizabeth Oppe
Committee Member
Steve Urbanski.
Abstract
This study aims to identify psychological factors that predict one's likelihood to disengage with privacy-threatening activities on Social Networking Sites (SNS). Particularly, it pays special attention to the concept of narcissism and its impact on one's response to SNS privacy-threatening situations. By evaluating narcissism in two different ways --- grandiose and vulnerable --- the study attempts to provide a better understanding of the role of narcissism in SNS usage and concerns over privacy issues. Study I shows that vulnerable narcissism has a significant influence on consumers' likelihood of disengaging with privacy-threatening activities on SNS while grandiose narcissism has no influence. Self-esteem, computer anxiety, and concern for information privacy also have significant influence on consumers' responses to privacy-threatening events on SNS. Study II further suggests that when people experience interpersonal rejection threats on SNS, the effect of vulnerable narcissism on one's intention to disengage with privacy-threatening activity is largely attenuated. The findings from two studies offer insight into the psychological process by which narcissism influences privacy concerns over SNS in both macro and micro levels.
Recommended Citation
Kwolek, Elizabeth A., "The Role of Narcissism on Concerns for SNS Privacy: Vulnerable Narcissism in Threatening Situations" (2012). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4884.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4884