Public defence in Communications Engineering and Networking Technology, M.Sc. Ektor Arzoglou

The title of the thesis: Dynamics of Privacy Paradox on Social Media Platforms

Thesis defender: Ektor Arzoglou
Opponent: Prof. George Xylomenos, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece
Custos: Prof. Petri Mähönen, Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering

People use social media to achieve particular gratifications despite expressing concerns about the related privacy risks that may lead to negative consequences. This inconsistency between privacy concerns and actual behaviour has been referred to as the privacy paradox.

Although several possible explanations for this phenomenon have been provided over the years, they are based on studies that have used cross-sectional approaches, which overlook the changes taking place over time.

To overcome these limitations, this dissertation focuses on the dynamics of privacy paradox on social media platforms and employs the system dynamics modelling methodology to incorporate existing privacy knowledge into qualitative models, which are useful in understanding causal dependencies without involving simulation experiments, as well as simulation models, which are useful in illustrating complex emergent behaviour over time through simulation experiments.

Hence, the dissertation contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how users navigate this tension over time, and why the privacy paradox persists despite growing public discourse on privacy.

Keywords: digital platforms, privacy, privacy obstacles, privacy paradox, social media, system dynamics

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aaltodoc. 

Contact:
ektor.arzoglou@aalto.fi