Underpinnings of Digital-photo interaction in Computer-mediated platforms

TL;DR

This dissertation investigates the motivations, barriers, and privacy concerns influencing digital photo interaction on platforms like Facebook, revealing key factors affecting user behavior and trust across different demographics.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into the psychological and privacy-related factors that drive or hinder photo-sharing and tagging activities on social media platforms.

Findings

Lack of social features limits standalone photo app adoption.

Photo-sharing is driven by social and self-expression motives.

Privacy concerns vary by age and gender, affecting sharing behavior.

Abstract

This dissertation is based on five empirical research articles investigating the different latent factors that motivate and hinder the process of digital-photo interaction in computer-mediated platforms. Study I examine the current practices surrounding digital photos in the context of personal photo repositories (N=15). Study II investigates the gratifications and impeding factors associated with photo-tagging activity on Facebook (N=67). Study III develops and tests an instrument for understanding the gratifications of Facebook photo-sharing (N=368). Study IV examines the impact of various aspects of privacy in relation to photo-sharing intentions on Facebook (N=378). Finally, study V investigates the age and gender differences regarding various aspects of privacy and trust in the context of photo-sharing activity on Facebook (N=378). The dissertation reveals the following findings: First, lack of "social features" is one of the essential reasons for non-acceptance of tagging feature in standalone photo management applications. Second, photo-sharing and photo-tagging adoption and popularity can be attributed to various factors such as affection, attention, communication, disclosure, habit, information sharing, self-expression, socialization, and social influence. Third, age, gender, and activity influence photo-sharing and photo-tagging gratifications. Fourth, in the context of Facebook photo-sharing, various aspects of privacy significantly impact users trust and activity and consequently photo-sharing intentions. Fifth, women and young Facebook users are significantly more concerned about the privacy of their shared photos. Sixth, privacy-protective measures are significantly exercised more by young Facebook users, yet they exhibit more trust and a higher level of activity on Facebook.