Social network sites as a threat to users’ self-determination and security: A framing analysis of German newspapers

ABSTRACT

In this study, we examined the portrayal of privacy and data protection on social network sites (SNS) in German media. As a widely used social web application, SNS arouse a considerable amount of media attention. By means of a value-framing analysis, the present study investigated how German media frame privacy and data protection on SNS. In a first step, the three value frames informational self-determination, security and psychosocial need satisfaction were identified through a qualitative framing analysis of online media. In a second step, we conducted a standardized content analysis of four preselected German newspapers to quantify the previously identified frames. Results show that newspapers mainly frame SNS in matters of users’ informational self-determination and that they predominantly present SNS as a threat to this value.

KEYWORDS:

• Value framing
• privacy
• data protection
• social network sites

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here 10.1080/13216597.2015.1111841.

Notes

1. StudiVZ was the first SNS that attracted noticeable numbers of users in Germany. It defended its position in the national market for a few years before Facebook became more popular.

2. The years 2006 and 2007 were omitted in this analysis due to minor number of cases (n = 1; n = 9).