There is a high level of awareness of activities concerning information privacy (what
information is protected, how information is shared and who has access) among Facebook
users. The vast majority of respondents (77.4 per cent) believe they are cautious in what
they say and do on the social networking site, reflecting high security consciousness. This
result contrasts with Rosenblum (2007), who reports that social networking users openly
and freely live their lives online. However, the finding is more in line with a recent study
conducted by Madden and Smith (2010), showing growing vigilance and consciousness
of one’s behaviour on social networking websites. The results of this study shows older
Facebook users are more likely to be cautious in what they say and do on Facebook in
comparison to younger Facebook users. Previous research shows older individuals tend to
be less tech savvy, causing them to be more cautious in their online behaviour. Older Facebook
users will generally look for more information and reassurance before they engage in
online activity and become more aware in the process (Chaffey et al., 2009). Facebook users
who have changed their privacy settings are more aware of activities concerning privacy
on Facebook in comparison to those who have not changed their settings. However, both
those who have changed and those who have not changed their settings are cautious in
what they say and do online. This finding implies an awareness of privacy risks on the
social networking site by those who have not changed their privacy settings, but also
suggests these Facebook users are not concerned enough to actually change their settings,
resembling the privacy paradox (Barnes, 2006).