“Should I Post or Ghost?”: Examining how privacy concerns impact social media engagement in US consumers

Privacy concerns and social media usage continue to increase in parallel for many online consumers. While researchers have suggested the negative impact of privacy concerns on social media engagement, it is also observable that privacy concerns do not prevent users from disclosing their personal information online while using social media, in other words a privacy paradox exists. Noting this interesting discrepancy, our research investigates various factors influencing the relationship between privacy concerns and social media engagement. Privacy related factors are examined along with social media constructs as potential moderators that would explain why privacy concerns do/do not affect social media engagement. To explore these relationships, an online survey was conducted with a total of 760 US social media consumers. Results determined that privacy concerns negatively influenced social media engagement to the extent that users have privacy protection behaviors, social media trust, and social media fatigue. Interestingly, when users have high trust on social media platforms, social media engagement is more likely to increase despite privacy concerns. To increase engagement from consumers on these platforms, brands should look to establish transparent interactions with consumers that ensure data privacy and limit data surveillance.