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Privacy in instant messaging: an impression management model

Kobsa, Alfred; Patil, S; Meyer, Bertolt (2012). Privacy in instant messaging: an impression management model. Behaviour & Information Technology, 31:355-370.

Abstract

Instant messaging (IM) has evolved into an important tool for collaborative work. It supports informal near-synchronous communication and fosters awareness of the online presence of one's communication partners. Like all awareness systems, IM runs into concerns regarding privacy. Drawing upon prior literature and exploratory interviews, we postulate a model that posits impression management as an underlying cause for privacy desires of IM users. We verify our hypotheses using linear structural modelling on data from a large online survey of IM users across the US. The model establishes that the desire for privacy in IM arises due to the desire for impression management (both directly, as well as indirectly through the desire for visibility of one's impression to oneself). Based on this model, we suggest that IM systems could support privacy needs of users better by providing them with more knowledge and control over aspects that affect their IM-conveyed impression on others (i.e. by making impression management functionality available). Specifically, to help convey and sustain appropriate impressions on IM contacts, IM systems should allow for increased visibility of one's actions to oneself, facilitate easy comparison of one's practices with those of others, and allow one to view oneself from the perspective of others and to make finer-grained adjustments to IM settings than is possible today.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:06 Faculty of Arts > Institute of Psychology
Dewey Decimal Classification:150 Psychology
Scopus Subject Areas:Social Sciences & Humanities > Developmental and Educational Psychology
Social Sciences & Humanities > Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Social Sciences & Humanities > General Social Sciences
Physical Sciences > Human-Computer Interaction
Language:English
Date:2012
Deposited On:29 Nov 2011 15:23
Last Modified:06 Nov 2024 02:37
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:0144-929X
OA Status:Closed
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/01449291003611326
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