Summaries and Responses to Two Articles Pertaining to my Research

For this blog post I will be summarizing and responding to two articles that I found on the UWT Library database “World Cat”. The first article is entitled “Investigating Privacy Attitudes and Behavior in Relation to Personalization” and the second article is entitled “International Differences in Information Privacy Concerns: A Global Survey of Consumers”. These articles pertain to my research topic, which I think I have narrowed down to “How Modern Media affects Personal Privacy Standards”.

 

Article 1- Summary and Response- “Investigating Privacy Attitudes and Behavior in Relation to Personalization”

Summary:

                This article argues that personality traits and musical preferences can reflect a person’s attitude on their personal privacy. It also states that there are inconsistencies between privacy attitudes and privacy behaviors in the context of shopping online. The article does cite several conflicting hypotheses that have to do with these inconsistencies, such as “study participants expressing attitudes outside of the context of specific privacy dilemmas and contact with researchers” (Van de Garde-Perik et al, 2008). Van de Garde- Perik et al (2008) approached this study from a very scientific perspective. Although there are undertones of psychology, sociology, economics and even music, the article was written from a scientific study perspective, with methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and everything needed for another researcher to go and repeat the study.

Response:

            I found it interesting that a person’s musical choice can reflect their attitude on privacy. This is exactly what I am looking for as far as media influencing how we determine our privacy boundaries. Maybe we know something is wrong, or it doesn’t feel right, but because we hear it in a song or see it on tv we think that there is something wrong with us for feeling that way. If the “whole world” (media world) says it’s okay, then it must be okay. I cannot wait to delve deeper into this topic.

Article 2- Summary and Response- “ International Differences in Information Privacy Concerns: A Global Survey of Consumers”

Summary:

            In this article, Bellemen et al (2004) examine three potential reasons that there are diffeneces in internet privacy concerns revealed by national regulations. The first reason is that these resons are potentially linked to cultural values and differences, the second being that these differences are correlated to difference in internet experience, and the third being that the reflect the separate desires of political institutions without exactly reflecting the privacy preferences of the citizens.

Response:

            This article is an extremely interesting article, and again, along the exact lines of my research. Obviously what we feel is our privacy here in America may not be the same as what someone in India feels is their privacy. Privacy changes from country to country and this article does a solid job of addressing some of the reasons that might be, with particular emphasis on the internet, which is in the realm of media.

 

 

References

Bellman S, Johnson E, Kobrin S, Lohse G, 2004. International Differences in Information Privacy Concerns: A Global Survey of Consumers. The Information Society. 20:313-324.

Van de Garde- Perik E. Markopoulos P. de Ruyter B. Eggen B. Ijsselsteijn W. 2008. Investigating Privacy Attitudes and Behavior in Relation to Personalization. Social Science Computer Review. Accessed online at http://ssc.sagepub.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/content/26/1/20.full.pdf+html on April 23, 2013.