CHRISTIAN FUCHS - ICT&S - Universität Salzburg

Christian Fuchs: Social Networking Sites and the Surveillance SocietyFigure 25. studiVZ information behaviour indexTable 15 presents the results of bivariate correlations between those variables thatconcern studiVZ on the one hand (knowledge about studiVZ, if users have read thenew terms of use before accepting them, how their trust in studiVZ has changed afterthe new terms of use took effect, and the studiVZ information behaviour index) andcertain factors on the other hand (usage intensity of SNS, intensity of reading terms ofuse in general, surveillance critique index, surveillance knowledge index). The resultsshow that the knowledge users have about what studiVZ is allowed to do with theirpersonal data is positively correlated with the surveillance critique index at asignificance level of 0.01. This means that being critical of surveillance increases theprobability that users inform themselves on what studiVZ is allowed to do. Users whoread the terms of use of ISNS in general in more detail tend to have read the new termsof use of studiVZ. This is an obvious result. That there is a significant correlation (at the0.01 significance level) between those two aspects is a confirmation that the surveyrespondents have given correct answers. The trust of users in studiVZ tends to havedecreased after the new terms of use took effect, if these users have read the new terms,read terms of use in general, are critical of surveillance, and have knowledge ofsurveillance. The intensity of reading terms of use and the surveillance critique indexare positively correlated with the studiVZ information behaviour index at the 0.01significance level. This means that users tend to deactivate the possibilities that studiVZhas for sending them advertisings or personalized advertisings, if they tend to readterms of use in general and if they are critical of surveillance.74