Socially Exchanging Privacy for Pleasure: hedonic Use of Computer-Mediated Social Networks

Despite legitimate privacy concerns regarding their use, hundreds of millions of people still visit Facebook and other social network sites each day. This study proposes that the enjoyment derived from social interaction as mediated by social network sites provides incentive for individuals to ignore privacy concerns and act contrary to their best interests. This study draws from social exchange theory, which states that individuals engage in mutually beneficial social interactions. We propose that the enjoyment received from this social exchange is sufficient to override many privacy concerns. This reduction in privacy concerns decreases the likelihood of engaging in privacy protective response behavior, and may explain continued use of CMSN in the presence of legitimate user concerns over privacy.