Self-Imposed Violations of Privacy in Virtual Communities

Abstract

Virtual communities have grown in recent years due to the accessibility and ease of setting up web pages on communal Internet sites. Organizations, including companies that seek to hire new employees, often scan these web sites as part of their background checking process. One of the most prominent sites is MySpace.com. This research investigates issues of privacy and self-violation of privacy in virtual communities. The results indicate that individuals willingly provide personal information that may actually violate their privacy.Virtual communities; privacy; violations of privacy; MySpace; Information Systems; online social networks.