title: Fictional privacy among Facebook users.
abstract: The current study involved the creation of a fictional Facebook account with limited information and was designed to assess whether participants would accept the friendship of an ambiguous, unknown person. Results indicated that 325 Facebook members (72% of the sample) willingly accepted the friendship of the unknown individual. Results are discussed in relation to privacy concerns, norms of reciprocity, and allowing access to potentially embarrassing information and/or pictures.
authors.affiliation: Communication Department, McDaniel College, Westminster, MD 21157, USA. rlemieux@mcdaniel.edu
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lemieux
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003195:Computer Communication Networks; D016494:Computer Security; D005201:Fantasy; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008873:Mid-Atlantic Region; D009042:Motivation; D018907:Privacy / Q000523:psychology*; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D035502:Trust; D055815:Young Adult