Lower Cynicism, Not Higher Literacy, Promotes Protective Behavior: Exploring the “privacy exception” in the Digital Inequality Framework

IF 3 2区社会学 Q2 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS

Social Science Computer Review Pub Date : 2025-06-13 DOI:10.1177/08944393251341201

Chiara Respi, Marco Gui, Gaetano Scaduto, Miriam Serini, Dario Pizzul, Tiziano Gerosa, Christoph Lutz

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Abstract

Prior research on digital inequality has highlighted the role of sociocultural resources in shaping Internet beneficial use patterns by positively impacting on online literacy. Research on privacy protection online has—at the same time—shown the emergence of a “privacy cynicism,” where concerns about privacy fail to translate into protective actions. This study investigates how education level impacts privacy protection behavior through these two different mediation paths. Using unique data from a sample of 3,156 Italian Internet users, structural equation modeling (SEM) is employed to analyze the linkages between education level, privacy literacy, privacy cynicism, and protective behaviors. Contrary to expectations, the results reveal a moderate negative impact of education level on privacy protection behaviors. This total effect is the results of two different paths exerting opposite effects on protection behaviors. While a higher education correlates with increased privacy literacy, this competence does not translate into proactive protective actions. Surprisingly, individuals with higher privacy literacy exhibit even lower levels of protection behavior, contributing to a negative indirect effect of education on privacy protection. On the other side, the indirect effect of education on behaviors through privacy cynicism operates consistently with the digital inequality framework, partially compensating the negative effect through literacy. An interpretation of privacy protection as an exception within the digital inequality framework is proposed.

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较低的玩世不恭，而非较高的识字率，促进了保护行为：探索数字不平等框架中的“隐私例外”

先前关于数字不平等的研究强调了社会文化资源通过对网络素养的积极影响，在塑造互联网有益使用模式方面的作用。与此同时，对网络隐私保护的研究显示出一种“隐私犬儒主义”的出现，即对隐私的担忧未能转化为保护行动。本研究透过这两种不同的中介路径，探讨教育程度对隐私保护行为的影响。利用来自3,156名意大利互联网用户样本的独特数据，采用结构方程模型（SEM）来分析教育水平、隐私素养、隐私玩世不恭和保护行为之间的联系。与预期相反，受教育程度对隐私保护行为有适度的负向影响。这种总效应是两条不同的路径对保护行为施加相反影响的结果。虽然高等教育与提高隐私知识相关，但这种能力并不能转化为积极的保护行动。令人惊讶的是，隐私素养较高的个体表现出更低的保护行为水平，这有助于教育对隐私保护的间接负面影响。另一方面，教育通过隐私玩世不恭对行为产生的间接影响与数字不平等框架一致，通过识字部分补偿了负面影响。提出了将隐私保护作为数字不平等框架内的例外的解释。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Social Science Computer Review 社会科学-计算机：跨学科应用

CiteScore

9.00

自引率

4.90%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Unique Scope Social Science Computer Review is an interdisciplinary journal covering social science instructional and research applications of computing, as well as societal impacts of informational technology. Topics included: artificial intelligence, business, computational social science theory, computer-assisted survey research, computer-based qualitative analysis, computer simulation, economic modeling, electronic modeling, electronic publishing, geographic information systems, instrumentation and research tools, public administration, social impacts of computing and telecommunications, software evaluation, world-wide web resources for social scientists. Interdisciplinary Nature Because the Uses and impacts of computing are interdisciplinary, so is Social Science Computer Review. The journal is of direct relevance to scholars and scientists in a wide variety of disciplines. In its pages you''ll find work in the following areas: sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, psychology, computer literacy, computer applications, and methodology.