How much will you share?: Exploring attitudinal and behavioral nudges in online private information sharing

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Information Science
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Contemporary attitudes towards public information sharing are complex, often involving ambivalence.
• The privacy paradox highlights the discrepancy between individuals' privacy concerns and their actual sharing behaviors.
• Organizational strategies can influence information sharing through indirect (attitude) and direct (behavior) targeting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate contemporary attitudes regarding public information sharing.
• To determine the extent to which organizations can influence sharing behaviors by targeting attitudes and/or behaviors.
• To examine the roles of ambivalence, nudging, and privacy paradox theories in information sharing decisions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized survey data from university students setting up public profile pages.
• Employed attitudinal and behavioral nudges to assess their impact on sharing decisions.
• Applied theories of ambivalence, nudging, and the privacy paradox.

Main Results:

• Found a coexistence of positive, negative, and ambivalent attitudes towards sharing within the student population.
• Demonstrated that individuals are aware of privacy intrusiveness, indicating non-mindless sharing.
• Showed that sharing increases when privacy concerns are lower; attitudinal and behavioral nudges independently affect sharing.

Conclusions:

• Organizational nudges can influence information sharing, with both attitude-based and behavior-based approaches being effective.
• Individuals' sharing decisions are not solely driven by privacy concerns but are modulated by perceived benefits and nudging strategies.
• Findings offer insights into managing online privacy and mitigating unwanted sharing compliance.