Abstract - Elham Nehmad

This is a study of risk taking, trust, and privacy concerns with regard to Internet social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace, among 205 college students, using both reliable scales and behavior. The study found that individuals who have profiles on social networking websites have greater risk-taking attitudes than those who do not; greater risk-taking attitudes exist among men than women.  Facebook has a greater sense of trust than MySpace.  General privacy concerns and identity information disclosure concerns are of greater concern to women than men.  Greater percentages of men than women display their phone numbers and home addresses on social networking websites.  The essay concludes that social networking websites should inform potential users that risk-taking and privacy are potentially relevant and important concerns before individuals sign up and create social networking profiles.

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