of online behaviour
that is not easily
replicated offline is the
mapping of personal
information across
different types of
website. it is this cross-
on social networking sites can, for instance, be easily related to that shared on LinkedIn
or ResearchGate, and even to sites such as ancestry.co.uk. This mapping could provide
the basic information required to build an identity and engage in criminal activity. it is the
psychological ambivalence to this possible verification of information across websites that
could pose more of a security threat to internet users than the type of over-sharing that we
are regularly warned of in the mass media. sharing across internet sites in this way also poses
another threat, namely a possible ignorance of the longevity of digital baggage. information
shared online rarely, if ever, really disappears! it may thus be this digital baggage across a
multitude of websites that creates a security risk to online self-disclosure rather than simply
over-sharing self-information online. Conversely, individuals might imagine themselves to be
selectively sharing different types of personal information on different websites.
that individuals are indeed seemingly
selective in the material that they
share on different types of website.
We have been carrying out research
to assess which factors most influence
when, where and how people are
likely to share information online in
communication or relationship building, it is considered the norm to initially share superficial
information, with the gradual exchange of more intimate and personal material cementing a
relationship over time. The length of time from this superficial sharing to revealing personal
and detailed information is influenced online by a number of factors, including the type of
website or application being used for an exchange, peoples' perceptions of how real and
consequential their online revelations are, both to their online and their offline existences,
and the level of both situational and dispositional trust that they have in both the technology
used and in their communications partner(s). another important factor is the goal-directed
nature of online behaviour. People use different websites to satisfy different behavioural
goals and needs. it would therefore be somewhat erroneous to treat the internet as a
homogenous arena where the same types of information are shared regardless of what
people are doing and with whom they are interacting online. in line with this, our research
also demonstrates that self-disclosure online is less of a splurge but more of a selective
sharing process that is tailored to achieve a desired website-specific outcome. People
selectively reveal self-information relating to their interests on online shopping sites, for
example, but are more likely to share their intimate feelings and beliefs via instant messenger
type communications than via public status updates on social networking sites. The heighted
self-disclosure reported by the mass media may thus reflect the sharing of increased
amounts of superficial rather than personal or intimate information.
these brief considerations is one
of the accuracy of the mass media
portrayal of oversharing self-
information online. it would appear
source of security risks. Rather, a combination of the build-up of information across different
types of internet site, digital baggage and psychological ignorance of the cross-mapping and
verification of that information, even under the guise of selective self-disclosures, could be
the source of security risks to online activities.
a wide range of internet behaviours, focusing on online relationships and sharing
self-information online. she is particularly interested in perceptions of trust,
privacy and security risks associated with online sharing.