Date of Graduation

5-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Beike, Denise

Committee Member/Reader

Eidelman, Scott H

Committee Member/Second Reader

Lee, Richard N

Abstract

Internet usage has become a big part of many people’s lives, and among the many uses Social Networking Sites (SNS) have become very prevalent. How privacy concerns, trust and control are affecting SNS usage and self-disclosure has become an important question for many people. I compiled a questionnaire and analyzed it for reliability. Then it was used to determine the relationship between these constructs and compared to the behavioral data that was collected from participant’s Facebook pages. The results showed that privacy concerns do not affect SNS usage or self-disclosure. Trust and control were significantly correlated with specific autobiographical memories, but trust was negatively correlated. Because the behavioral data was different than the self-report data or the expected results more research including a behavioral measure needs to be completed. Based on these results trust and control are linked with SNS usage and self-disclosure, while privacy concerns are not affecting them.

Share

COinS