Investigating Personalisation-Privacy Paradox Among Young Irish Consumers: A Case of Smart Speakers

TL;DR

This study explores the personalisation-privacy paradox among young Irish smart speaker users, revealing differences in privacy perceptions and behaviors, and providing insights into why consumers behave contradictorily regarding privacy despite valuing it.

Contribution

It offers new insights into the personalisation-privacy paradox specifically in the context of smart speakers among young Irish consumers, highlighting user differences and explaining the paradox.

Findings

Users perceive higher privacy risks than non-users.

Users engage less in privacy-preserving behaviors.

The paradox is explained by differing perceptions and behaviors.

Abstract

Personalisation refers to the catering of online services to match consumer's interests. In order to provide personalised service, companies gather data on the consumer. In this situation, consumers must navigate a trade-off when they want the benefits of personalised information and services while simultaneously wish to protect themselves from privacy risks. However, despite many individuals claiming that privacy is an essential right to them, they behave contradictorily in online environments by not engaging in privacy-preserving behaviours. This paradox is known as the personalisation-privacy Paradox. The personalisation-privacy paradox has been studied in many different scenarios, ranging from location-based advertising to online shopping. The objective of this study is to investigate the personalisation-privacy paradox in the context of smart speakers. Based on an exploratory study with young Irish consumers, this study suggests a difference between the users and non-users of smart speakers in terms of their perception of privacy risks and corresponding privacy-preserving behaviours. In so doing, it also explains the existence of the personalisation-privacy paradox and offers insights for further research.