Is your privacy private on mobile social media platforms?

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain the effect of trust, knowledge, and control on privacy concerns on mobile social media platforms. Methodology: This paper used a quantitative research approach with a Cross Sectional Research Design, in form of a survey, to collect a number of 76 responses. The sample consisted primarily of swedish respondents in the ages of 18-25 with high school education living in a household earning below 19 999 SEK. Findings: Our study found significant negative relationships between trust and privacy concerns and knowledge and privacy concerns. This furthers the research field for trust that Milne and Boza (1999), Proudfoot, et al. (2018) and Wenjing and Kavita (2019) laid the foundation on. This also applies to knowledge, by confirming the results of Smit, Van Noor and Voorveld (2014) and Aguirre, et al. (2016). We provide a model where trust and knowledge is described to negatively affect privacy concerns on mobile social media. We also document a so-called privacy paradox from the results. Research Implications: Our results suggest that in order for managers to reduce privacy concerns on mobile social media platforms, increasing the levels of trust or knowledge can moderately alleviate such concerns. Knowledge to a slightly larger degree than trust. However, for such companies to customize visible cues only to appear reliable, as per Aguirre, et al (2015), can thereby be argued of little use as this would have little impact on the level of privacy concern displayed in mobile social media users. Originality/Value: This paper tests findings from Nowak and Phelps (1995), Milne and Boza (1999), Taylor, Davis and Jillapalli (2009), Smit, Van Noor and Voorveld (2014), Gu, et al. (2017), Proudfoot, et al. (2018), Nam (2018) and Wenjing and Kavita (2019) within a previously yet to be tested context, mobile social media platforms. Keywords: Privacy, Concerns, Violations, Social Media, Mobile, Platforms, Facebook, Trust, Knowledge, Control