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Student Number: 12522741

Constructing attitudes to privacy and self-publication An exploration of Facebook users actions and attitudes through a Grounded Approach. Introduction "You have zero privacy anyway, get over it" stated Scott McNeally, CEO of Sun Microsystems, to a crowded press conference in 1999, (Wired :1999). McNealy's declaration was in response to growing concerns about the need for "privacy safeguards" in the early days of the Internet. Almost five years later Mark Zuckerberg launched 'The Facebook' (Phillips: 2007), the short-lived predecessor to Facebook. Arguably already culturally ubiquitous phenomenon in Western culture and the subject of an Oscar winning film, The Social Network (IMDB:2010) despite its relative youth; Facebook is a website that enables users to create a profile, connect with other users and share various types of content. Information that is shared includes photographs, videos, links to blog posts and websites as well as status updates, either self-created or automatically generated through one of the many Facebook applications. Brands can also create profile pages to broadcast information to any user who has 'liked' their page.

Facebook's short history has been repeatedly coloured by apprehensions over privacy (Kelleher: 2011). Issues have ranged from identify theft (BBC: 2008) to worries about who owns the rights to the content the millions of user publish on the website every second of every day (Walters: 2009). In 2009, Facebook closed its Beacon marketing programme after complaints about tracking activity on partner websites (Ortutay: 2009) These issues, and others, such as individuals losing jobs due to their own, and others actions (BBC:2009. Metro: 2011), does not seem to have slowed the uptake of Facebook. The site claims to have over 750 million active users (Facebook: 2011) and is the most visited website in the world (Google: 2011). Neither has it slowed the amount of content those users are willing

Student Number: 12522741

to share, with over 30 billion pieces shared each month, with each average user sharing around 90 pieces per month (Facebook: 2011). That people seem happy to publish content online when it could have serious implications in the real world, or that they are equally happy to trust that their online friends, or friends online, will act responsibly in regard to them is a phenomenon in itself that is worthy of further examination. However when one considers the current cultural scene in the United Kingdom, the tension between views of privacy and actions by individuals become a natural focal point for research.

On July 10th 2011, The News of the World, one of world's most long-standing tabloid newspapers, with 168-year history was published for the last time. Closed by its owners, News International, amid a torrent of allegations that it had breeched the privacy of thousands of people, from Royalty to war widows and murder victims, the full story is yet to unfold and may take years to do so. (Kirkup:2011). However it is clear from the public outcry against the activity of the News of the World, that there is still a notion of privacy and that it is something that people seem to think should be respected. Which when, held against the behaviour of the average Facebook user, who is seemingly content to share a wide variety of content, creates an interesting tension worth further exploration.

Personally I am very interested in this area. Over the past few years I have been actively using Facebook. Primarily for work purpose, in order to help promote the company I work for and its clients, but also to position myself publicly as an expert in the field of social media, the common catch-all phrase often used to refer to platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

Student Number: 12522741

Research Purpose The aim of this study is to establish how Facebook users actually use Facebook, more specifically if there is a disconnect between how they believe they use it, and how they actually use, and what their thoughts and feelings are about online privacy in relation to their Facebook usage. To do this it will examine the area of tension already outlined; that is between the seeming increasing popularity of sharing a wide variety of personal information, thoughts and content such as photos and videos, how individuals conceptualise privacy and what value they put on it.

There have been several studies into privacy concerns online but they generally tend to focus on ethical concerns around online shopping (Caudill & Murphy: 2000) or the practical considerations for companies who operate in any part of their business in the virtual world (Sarathy & Robertson: 2003). There has been little research looking at how Facebook users actually use Facebook, what they think about online privacy and how they view their own Facebook usage in relation to their notions of privacy. This is, perhaps, not totally unsurprising, Facebook is still a relatively young company and one that is continually evolving. Originally created for, and only available to, American college students, Facebook opened its doors wider in 2007 (Phillips: 2007) and is constantly adding new features, for example the recent addition of Skype video chat (BBC: 2011). It could be argued that users are equally in a state of flux when it comes to how they use Facebook and are not perhaps fully aware of their own behavioural activity on the site. This research should provide clarity on this behaviour and potentially provide categories of behaviour types that can be tracked as Facebook continues its inevitable evolution and the way in which its users interact with it, and each other, also evolves.

Student Number: 12522741

The other purpose of this research is to try and establish a clearer idea of what is meant by privacy. A concept that is, as described by Kasper, 'one of those common-sense concepts that is understood, on some level, within every human society (2005: pp 69). However privacy is also something that is almost totally subjective, 'relativized to what people in a particular society at a particular time, are prepared to disclose about themselves' (Miller & Weckert: 2000: pp 256). From this proposed study it is possible that a greater understanding of privacy will be revealed, and from this again it will be possible to potentially track how the concept of privacy does, or does not change, over the coming years.

Methodology Due to the relative freshness of this area of study, it seems most appropriate to take a grounded theory approach which will allow categories of Facebook usage and attitudes towards privacy online to be constructed and for a hypothesis, or concepts to be developed from the data gathered during the course of the research (Bryman: 2008). A study of platform which generates a vast amount of content and encourages interaction, will inevitably produce a vast amount of data, and the adoption of grounded theory, in particular the Straussian approach, will be utilised in order to ensure that each piece of data is rightfully considered and not overlooked (Ibid). Taking a grounded theory approach should also assist the researcher in maintaining a sense of neutrality and to remain driven by the data, not a priori knowledge derived from familiarity with the subject matter in hand (Glaser & Strauss: 1975). Finally as one of the purposes of this study is to provide clear categories of Facebook usage and notions of the value of privacy, which can be potentially used as benchmarks for future research, grounded theory is a most suitable choice.

Student Number: 12522741

Three methods which will be employed for this research, and while grounded theory is more traditionally more associated with the collection of qualitative data, and two of the methods are qualitative, they will be supplemented by a quantitative method. The main form of data collection will be in the examination and collection of data directly from the Facebook pages of a variety of users. This will involve taking regular data samples of the individual profile pages of a variety of Facebook users for a regular basis for predetermined timeframe and making a note of the content and style of their updates. It is expected that there will be a wide variety of update styles that will generate a large number of codes and categories, which is why the Straussian grounded theory approach will be particularly suitable.

To accompany the data collection, there will be a series of unconstructed face-to-face interviews conducted with a selection of the Facebook users whose' data is also being sampled. There are three reasons behind the use of unstructured interviews. Firstly it will allow the interviewees to freely describe their activities and thoughts around both their usage of Facebook and their views of privacy without being either restricted or guided (Lyons & Coyle: 2008). Secondly it will possibly highlight any differences between the way in which they feel they use Facebook and their actual usage. Finally, unstructured face-toface interviews enable the greatest amount of detail to be gathered (Ibid). The final element will be a wider ranging questionnaire that will be issued to both users of Facebook and those that eschew the social media platform This will me a mixture of both open and closed questions, though it will be more quantitative that qualitative. The survey will be brief and will be developed and issued after data saturation has been achieved

Student Number: 12522741

through data sampling and unstructured interviews., as recommended by Strauss and Corbin (1998: pp 28). The purpose of this additional element is to gain wider insight from a greater variety of Facebook users. The two main methods will be time consuming and potentially limited to a fewer than a dozen users. While steps will be taken to ensure variety, an online-based survey will provide some form of wider context and insight as to peoples thoughts and usage around Facebook and privacy.

Data Collection In keeping with the grounded theory approach, the collection of data and its analysis will be simultaneous, following the pattern as described by Lyons and Coyle of 'collection, analyses, reflection, theory development and theory testing' (2008: pp. 73'). The starting point will be the sampling of Facebook user data. To perform the necessary data sampling of the content that the Facebook users will create and share, I will need to be connected to them on Facebook, or be Facebook friends, as it is referred to on the platform (Facebook: 2011). Although Facebook has been frequently accused of dis-regarding its users privacy (Philips: 2007), it is possible for users to 'lock' their profiles so that they are only visible to those they are friends with. So while it theoretically would be possible to obtain data from a person who has not used the Facebook privacy settings to 'lock' their profile and the data collected will be 'anonymized'. From an ethical standpoint, as the data shared could be of a personal nature, data will only be sampled from users who have given 'informed consent' and who have agreed to become, for the purposes of these study, or already are Facebook friends.

The initial sample group will be a dozen people; some of the sample group will be selfselected after a request for volunteers. Further volunteers might be approached if it is felt

Student Number: 12522741

that the initial group is lacking in enough variety. For the purposes of this research, and to establish sufficient varieties of usage, a wide demographic and geographic range of Facebook user will be sought out. Also as the research is taking a grounded theory approach, it is within the scope of the study to increase the number of participants if it becomes apparent that either not enough data is not being generated or not a wide enough variety of data is being generated (Glaser & Strauss: 1975).

During the unstructured face-to-face interviews, it will be important to be reflexive about the role of the interviewer; the choice of words and awareness of background and expertise on the topic of Facebook could potentially influence the content of the interview (Lyons & Coyle: 2008). The interviews will conducted in parallel with the Facebook data sampling taking place, and there may be multiple interviews with the same subject, if it is felt necessary during the progression of the study (Ibid). It is important to factor in potential repeat interviews, as well as interviews with new subjects, as grounded theory dictates that as new hypotheses evolve there will be direction to new sources of potential data (Glaser & Strauss: 1975). The interviews will all be recorded and transcribed so that the necessary coding and analysis can be performed.

The final method of data collection will be the questionnaire that will be formed of open, closed and pre-coded questions. The actual design and content of the questionnaire will be informed in its creation by the analysis of the data provided through the sampling of Facebook profiles and the unstructured interviews of the owners of the Facebook profiles. As described by Lyons and Coyle in 2008, 'familiarization with the research question, the context of the interviews, the interview data and reflection upon researchers influence are all an integral part of a grounded theory approach (pp. 89). The questionnaire will be

Student Number: 12522741

created through an online provider and distributed via email and the social platforms of Facebook and Twitter. To ensure a large sample and a wide demographic variety of respondents, the initial sample will be encouraged to pass on the survey to others to respond. Potentially, if time permits the survey may be administrated face-to-face in an offline capacity so that the views of people who don't have access to the Internet or chose not to participate in online platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, can also be captured.

Data Analysis The grounded approach is categorized by the analytic procedure and constant comparison (Glaser & Strauss: 1975). As this research is following the Straussian grounded approach, it will adhere to a systematic and vigorous, and potentially protracted, process of analyses of the collected data. This will take place concurrently with the act of data collection itself (Lyons & Coyle: 2008). All the data recorded will be subject to two levels of coding. The initial data will be subject initially open coded and then re-coded as part of the constant comparative technique until the saturation point is reached. This initial process will create a variety of categories, which will then be subjected to the refining process of axial coding, where in each category is examined thoroughly in relation to the others to determine potential themes and links (Ibid).

As the analysis evolves from descriptive statements and into potential concepts, or inducted hypotheses, there will be a period of hypotheses testing, which will inform the direction of the data collection, through either refinement in line with a hypotheses that can be substantiated from the data or to a whole new direction (Ibid). Strauss and Corbin emphasis the importance of theoretical sampling in area of study, such as proposed research, which is new because it gives the researcher greater freedom to choses

Student Number: 12522741

directions of sampling which will give 'the greatest theoretical return' (1998: pp. 203). It is equally important to maintain an adherence to the strict procedures of the grounded theory approach and to remain reflexive to also gain the most possible utility of the data collected.

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Student Number: 12522741

Kelleher, K (2011) In the Google-Facebook race, privacy will determine the winner. Fortune (Online) 12th July 2011. Available from http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/07/12/google-facebook-race-privacy/ [Last accessed 12th July 2011] Kirkup, J. (2011) News of the World closed following phone hacking scandal: how Prince's knee led to fall of a giant The Guardian (Online) 8th July. Available from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8624738/News-of-theWorld-closed-following-phone-hacking-scandal-how-Princes-knee-led-to-fall-of-agiant.html {Last accessed 12th July 2011) Lyons, E. & Coyle, A. (2008) Analysing Qualitative Data in Psychology Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Metro (2011) Topless teacher photo found by pupils on Facebook (Online) 5th March. Available from http://www.metro.co.uk/news/857285-topless-teacher-photo-found-bypupils-on-facebook [Last accessed: 11th July 2011] Miller, S. & Weckert, J. Privacy, the Workplace and the Internet Journal of Business Ethics 28 (3) pp 255 - 265 Ortutay, B. (2009) Facebook to End Beacon Tracking tool in settlement USA Today (Online) 21st September. Available from http://www.usatoday.com/tech/hotsites/200909-21-facebook-beacon_N.htm. [Last accessed: 11th July 2011] Phillips, S. (2007) A Brief History of Facebook. The Guardian [Online] 25th July. Available from http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia [Last accessed 11th July 2011] Sarathy, R. & Robertson, C. J. Strategic and Ethical Considerations in Managing Digital Privacy Journal of Business Ethics Vol. 46 (2) pp 111 - 126 Sprenger, P. (1999) Sun on Privacy: 'Get Over It'. Wired [Online 26th January. Available from http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/1999/01/17538 [Last accessed 11th July 2011] Strauss, A. & Corbin, J (1998) Basics of Qualitative Research 3rd Edition Research Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Walters, C. (2009) Facebook's New Terms of Service: "We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever." The Consumerist (Online) 15th February. Available from http://consumerist.com/2009/02/facebooks-new-terms-of-service-we-can-do-anythingwe-want-with-your-content-forever.html. [Last accessed 12th July 2011]

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