Trust and privacy concern within social networking sites: A comparison of Facebook and MySpace

Abstract

It is not well understood how privacy concern and trust influence social interactions within social networking sites. An online survey of two popular social networking sites, Facebook and MySpace, compared perceptions of trust and privacy concern, along with willingness to share information and develop new relationships. Members of both sites reported similar levels of privacy concern. Facebook members expressed significantly greater trust in both Facebook and its members, and were more willing to share identifying information. Even so, MySpace members reported significantly more experience using the site to meet new people. These results suggest that in online interaction, trust is not as necessary in the building of new relationships as it is in face to face encounters. They also show that in an online site, the existence of trust and the willingness to share information do not automatically translate into new social interaction. This study demonstrates online relationships can develop in sites where perceived trust and privacy safeguards are weak.