The Privacy Paradox: The Role of Cognitive Absorption in the Social Networking Activity

Prior research shows that Social Network Sites (SNS) users who are concerned about personal privacy tend to disclose less information. However, in real-world settings, SNS users often fail to consider such concerns in their actual behavior, such as selfdisclosure. This phenomenon is known as the "privacy paradox" where individuals express high concerns about privacy but act in a contradictory way. Several theoretical approaches seek to explain this paradox. This paper extends this research by considering the holistic SNS experience. Drawing on published accounts in the press and prior work on cognitive absorption and privacy concerns, this paper proposes a theoretical framework that helps explain the privacy paradox. Specifically, it emphasizes the moderating effect of cognitive absorption on the relationship between privacy concerns and self-disclosure. Building on the privacy calculus theory, it also emphasizes the effect of cognitive absorption in magnifying perceived benefits and undermining perceived risks leading to increased self-disclosure.