Online privacy behavior among youth in the Global South: A closer look at diversity of connectivity and information literacy
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society
ISSN: 1477-996X
Article publication date: 11 December 2018
Issue publication date: 8 March 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it explores the extent to which diversity of connectivity or the connection through multiple internet access points may facilitate online privacy behavior. Second, it explains the diversity of connectivity-online privacy behavior link in terms of information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
Situated in the context of urban poor youth in the Philippines (n = 300), this paper used a quantitative approach, specifically an interview-administered survey technique. Respondents were from three cities in Metro Manila. To test for indirect relationship, survey data were analyzed using bootstrapping technique via SPSS macro PROCESS (Hayes, 2013).
Findings
Urban poor youth with diversified connection to the internet engaged in online privacy behavior. The more the youth are connected to the internet through diverse modalities, the more this fosters cautious online privacy behavior. In addition, information literacy explained how diversity of connectivity facilitated online privacy behavior. It suggests that differences in online privacy behavior may result from the extent of basic know-how of navigating online information. In the context of the urban poor in the Global South, the youth are constantly negotiating ways to not only connect to the internet but also acquire digital skills necessary for protective online behaviors.
Originality/value
To date, this is one of the few papers to contribute to conversations about online privacy among youth in the Global South. It broadens the literature on social determinants of online privacy behavior that is crucial for designing policy interventions for those in the margins.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support of De La Salle University through a Challenge Grant (#500-458) titled “Social ecology of internet use by youth in slums: Piloting an info-literacy pisonet” project. They are likewise thankful to Mr Ruepert Jiel Cao for his research assistance.
Citation
Bernadas, J.M.A.C. and Soriano, C.R. (2019), "Online privacy behavior among youth in the Global South: A closer look at diversity of connectivity and information literacy", Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 17-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-03-2018-0025
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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