Undergraduate student perceptions of personal social media risk

Abstract

This paper describes a study designed to collect student perceptions of the personal risks incurred when using social media. The study used the Delphi method to rank the social media risks perceived by students. The students' rankings were compared to the personal risks identified and ranked by a group of Library and Information Science professionals. Although there is some agreement between the rankings from the two groups, there are also considerable differences. The paper suggests that educating students about the actual risks they face in using social media is important, and should include all students. For students specializing in information security, it suggests that additional emphasis should be placed on learning about human behavior and social engineering.