Beyond the Birthday Cake Emoji: Unraveling Gender Differences and Behavioral Nuances in Nigerian Birthday Disclosures on Social Media

Abstract

People often congratulate and celebrate one another on social media, unknowingly disclosing critical information about themselves which may lead to privacy issues. Through quantitative, structural equation modeling, and thematic analytical methods used on our data of 700 Nigerian participants using snowball sampling, comprising 48.4% men (339) and 51.6% women (361), we assessed influences on birthday disclosures, emphasizing social gratification, social media usage, and knowledge of privacy settings. Despite a general understanding of privacy measures, many Nigerians prioritize the immediate rewards of social gratification. Prolonged platform usage tends to reduce birthday disclosure. Gender-based differences were notable: with increased social media use, Nigerian men disclosed birthdays less frequently than women. Identification of the unique considerations that Nigerians make before disclosing their birthday, including emotional and religious factors as well as consideration of the impact of disclosure on reputation, sets this study apart from similar previous studies in the Western context. The findings highlight the necessity of acknowledging regional cultural nuances in digital practices and support the call for region-specific digital literacy initiatives.

Keywords:

• Birthday
• disclosure
• privacy
• Nigeria
• gender
• gratification

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Rita Orji’s research is supported by the Canada Research Chairs Program and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through the Discovery Grant. We also want to acknowledge the Federal University of Technology, Minna for their support.

Notes on contributors

Victor Yisa

Victor Yisa, a PhD candidate at the Persuasive Computing Lab, Dalhousie University, specializes in crafting intervention systems that enhance privacy management and information disclosure behaviors. His work is pivotal in understanding and influencing how individuals interact with digital platforms in the context of privacy and data sharing.

Gerry Chan

Gerry Chan is a postdoctoral researcher in the Persuasive Computing Lab at Dalhousie University, Canada. Gerry received his PhD in 2022 in Information Technology from Carleton University. His research interests are in the social and motivational aspects of games.

Reza Ghaiumy Anaraky

Reza Ghaiumy Anaraky a Postdoctoral Associate at NYU’s Tandon School, explores HCI, privacy, and aging in his research. He’s been honored with a Facebook Fellowship, three Best Paper awards, and a Matter Institute’s Innovative Research for Aging Award, underscoring his significant contributions to the field.

Rita Orji

Rita Orji is a Canada Research Chair in Persuasive Technology and a Computer Science Professor at Dalhousie University. She directs the persuasive Computing Lab. Her research at the intersection of technology and human behavior focuses on user-centered approaches to designing technologies to improve lives and support people to achieve various self-improvement goals.