The impact of Facebook privacy settings knowledge on personal information disclosure of first-year IT students at Nelson Mandela University
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Facebook is a social networking site that has influenced modern digital life significantly. It was designed to allow users all over the world to connect and communicate with friends, family, and communities by sharing updates, photos, and videos. While Facebook enables social connections, the abundance of information disclosure raises concerns about privacy and security. As a result, users must exercise caution and enhance their privacy settings when disclosing personal information on Facebook. It is critical to understand why people divulge personal information on Facebook in order to help Facebook users safeguard their data. Therefore, this study investigates how knowledge of Facebook privacy settings affects the sharing of personal information. Only Nelson Mandela University first-year IT students are included in the data collection of the study. Following a thorough literature review, the study adopted privacy calculus and the theory of planned behaviour as the foundational frameworks for the conceptual research model. Four relationships among five constructs were hypothesised. A questionnaire was created to assess the constructs as well as the knowledge of respondents of Facebook’s privacy settings. Data was gathered from a sample of 133 first-year IT students at Nelson Mandela University. Structural equation modelling was used to the conceptual research model. The respondents were divided into two groups based on their knowledge and the structural equation modelling repeated for the Knowledgeable and Not Knowledgeable group. The overall results of this study indicate that perceived benefits positively influence the willingness to disclose information, and perceived behavioural control negatively influences the willingness to disclose information. Surprisingly, privacy risks and social norms do not influence the willingness to disclose information. Furthermore, the results show that there are significant differences and similarities between students who are Knowledgeable about Facebook privacy settings and those who are Not Knowledgeable. Both Knowledgeable and Not Knowledgeable students are willing to disclose their information positively for benefits, and show no relationship between social norms and the willingness to disclose information. However, Knowledgeable students show a negative relationship between perceived behavioural control and willingness to disclose the information. In addition, privacy risks have no relationship with the willingness to disclose information. In contrast, Not Knowledgeable students show a negative relationship between privacy risks and willingness to disclose information. In addition, perceived behavioural control has no relationship with the willingness to disclose information. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank myself for having the courage to chase my dream of completing this master’s study. However, this research would not have been possible without the help and support of other people. Therefore, I would like to show my great and humble appreciation to the following: • My promoters, Prof. Kerry-Lynn Thomson and Prof. Reinhardt A Botha for their patience, support and guidance. I appreciate their help during the challenging times, more especially on the academic writing challenges. I would like to thank them for their baby-steps guidance and professionalism during the process. I could not have asked for better promoters; they are a true blessing. • Prof. Jenny Clarence-Fincham from Nelson Mandela University Teaching and Learning for her assistance and support during the early years of this study. • Miss Carmen Stindt from the Nelson Mandela University Unit for Statistical Consultation for assisting with the data analyses of the study. • My Family, for their sacrifices, patience and continuous support. In particular, my wife Lindokuhle Ndzondzo, my children Nibonge and Sozingca, and my sister, Lorna Ndzondzo. • My friends, for their support and motivation, especially Dr Luzuko Tekeni and Dr Bramley Lemine. • Ms Ricky Woods for the proofreading and editing of the dissertation. • The participants for their time and contribution to the study. iv
Author: Ndzondzo, A
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Nelson Mandela University
OpenAlex ID: W7220807690