Understanding User Privacy and Social Media Usage in South Africa

Abstract

Social media usage in the developing world continues to rise. However, research about the many associated privacy concerns remains limited to the study of social media use in more developed settings. In this study, I show how mobile social media users in South Africa are making use of the privacy settings and controls on social media platforms. I present findings from interviews of 52 current mobile social media users in South Africa, ranging from low-income users to upper-middle class users. Several themes emerged. First, users’ primary privacy-related concern was who else could see their posts and messages, not what data the platforms collect about them. Second, users displayed general knowledge gaps on both existing social media privacy settings and data collection efforts by advertisers. Third, users’ considerations for their own physical safety often shaped their attitudes towards privacy online. Fourth, usage of privacy settings and conceptions of privacy are heavily swayed by offline social factors, such as perceived intimacy of a platform and information sharing amongst friends. Based on these findings, I make recommendations for social media designers, companies, and regulators to ensure that user privacy is maintained on social media.