Privacy and Social Media

This entry offers an overview of privacy as it relates to social media and as it is understood and researched through the lenses of several disciplines in the social sciences. This discussion demonstrates that there is no single definition of privacy that is applicable to all features of social media and that it is often necessary to combine perspectives to achieve a holistic framework, which can guide research on issues of both information disclosure and privacy.
It may be argued that privacy is a fundamental right that cannot be traded. Alternatively, it may be argued that privacy is an individual right that can be traded when it involves the sharing of personal information. In social media environments, users may disclose information to other individuals, to social media providers and network operators and to other third parties. There is a range of theoretical perspectives on privacy that is relevant in the context of social media use.