The study found that while medical students frequently use social networks like Facebook and Twitter, they are generally unwilling to provide their social media identities and user profiles to researchers. When asked to provide social media IDs, only a small number (13 total) agreed. When asked for explanations, most participants cited privacy concerns as the primary reason for not sharing their IDs. The study suggests that more work needs to be done to help users understand the benefits of sharing social media data for research purposes and give them more transparency and control over how their information would be used.

1. Utilizing Social Networks for User Model Priming:
User Attitudes
5. Department of Psychiatry, School of
Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
DONOGHUG@tcd.ie
4. EmpowerTheUser, Trinity Technology &
Enterprise Campus, The Tower, Dublin, Ireland
declan.dagger@empowertheuser.com
3. Delft University of
Technology, the Netherlands
c.hauff@tudelft.nl
2. Knowledge Technologies Institute,
Graz University of Technology, Austria
{gudrun.wesiak,christina.steiner}@tugraz.at
1. KDEG, School of Computer Science and
Statistics, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
{mooread,owen.conlan}@scss.tcd.ie
Adam Moore1, Gudrun Wesiak2, Christina M. Steiner2, Claudia Hauff3, Declan Dagger4, Gary Donohoe5 & Owen Conlan1
The research leading to these results has received
funding from the European Community's Seventh
Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under grant
agreement no 257831 (ImREAL project).
Research has shown that some user characteristics can be accurately
inferred from users’ digital traces. This study addresses a crucial question
for practical applications of this approach:
Are users actually willing to provide their social network
profiles and how do they perceive this?
An empirical study conducted with medical students shows that although
participants are using social networks, they are reluctant about providing
their identities and consider these portals rather private.
Abstract
is
this
ok?
We asked 152 third year medical students about
their social network usage via online
questionnaire – 95 answered.
What social networks do they use
and who do they expect their posts
to be read by?
81% of the students use Facebook, Twitter is
used by only 20%, LinkedIn by 5.3% and Flickr by
only 1 person.
The expected audience (by percentage) for each
social network’s posts is shown alongside.
Social Networks
We asked the students to provide us with their social network ID, for
example, their Twitter handle.
When asked to provide their user identity for any social
network, most declined.
From the 77 Facebook users only 11 (14.3%) provided their
username, Twitter and LinkedIn usernames were provided by 3 (15.8%)
and one person (20%), respectively. In total IDs from 13 persons were
provided.
When asked to explain, 60 participants responded, of which 49 or 83%
explained why they did not want to provide their SN-ID, whereas the
remaining persons gave a reason for providing their ID. All answers were
analyzed and aggregated to the 6 categories shown alongside.
Privacy
Research has shown that some user characteristics can be accurately inferred from users’ digital traces. However, when directly
questioned about this approach, our users are reluctant to disclose their identities within these networks and express discomfort.
In the follow up simulation, when offered the opportunity to enable enhancement to the learning
experience by adding their Twitter handle to their profile, not one student provided it.
Future research needs to focus on conclusive ways to convey the benefits for the users of these approaches and to give them more
control and insight on the actually utilized body of information.
Conclusions
Intended
Audience
Providing SN
ID