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Jun.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Trepte, University of Hamburg, Germany
Leonard Reinecke, University of Hamburg, Germany
The "Young Scholars Network on Privacy and Web 2.0" is an international research network funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The network consists of 15 international researchers from the USA, Europe and Asia. Each individual member has an excellent track record, has recently published work on the Web 2.0 and/or does work on projects addressing issues of privacy and self-disclosure. Bringing together the expertise of its members, the network provides a unique international perspective on privacy in the Social Web.
A complete list of the network members including CVs and lists of publications related to Web 2.0 and privacy research is available for download here. [PDF]
There is no Web 2.0 without self-disclosure in virtual public spaces and there is no research on Web 2.0 without dealing with the users' privacy. All scholars in communication science and media psychology doing research on the Web 2.0 are confronted with issues of privacy in their research.
The network's main scope will be to inspire dialogue on privacy on the Web 2.0. It aims to reveal an international and trans-cultural perspective on privacy on the Web 2.0. The internet is a global medium and the "Young scholars' network on privacy and web 2.0" may enhance international dialogue and understanding regarding its uses and effects.
The Web 2.0 enables users to reach millions of recipients with minimal technical effort via weblogs, wikis or social networking sites. The majority of producers of user-generated-content disclose at least some private information. The possibility to give insight into their lives, feelings and thoughts is a major gratification for many users of the Social Web.
The constant availability of intimate information online raises concerns about the potential effects the Social Web might have on its users' ideas of privacy and privacy protection. Critics state that Web 2.0 is merely a refuge for users who are longing for self-disclosure and who are not able to engage in serious face-to-face relationships. Furthermore, it is very often stated that feelings of anonymity fostered by the Web 2.0 environment cause a loss of social distance and alter feelings of privacy. Hitherto, it remains unclear whether users of user-generated-content differ from users less interested in Web 2.0 services in their psychological dispositions towards self-disclosure and privacy.
The network will initiate dialogue on privacy issues on the internet. It will gather international research on privacy and self-disclosure on the web and it lays ground for a comprehensive view on the role of privacy, self-disclosure and related issues.
Taken together, the results are meant to keep track with the users, to characterize the web 2.0 in terms of privacy, and to understand, whether users appear sensitive to privacy issues and capable of developing strategies to account for the crucial role of privacy in the Social Web. Also, users' motives to disclose or to withhold information will be explored.
The network aims at three basic goals:
1. Dialogue: Gathering international and interdisciplinary ideas on "Privacy on the Web"
The network reacts to privacy on the internet as an upcoming societal issue. It has the purpose to bring together excellent scholars in the field of Web 2.0 research, foster ideas and discuss international empirical evidences on the understanding of Web 2.0. Three workshops will be the heart of the network communication. Within the workshops, the network members will present their ideas on uses and effects of privacy and self-disclosure on the web. Empirical evidences as well as first thoughts will have room to be dealt with. For each workshop, one merited guest speaker dealing with issues on privacy on the web will be invited to stimulate dialogue. The workshops will also give network members the chance to form clusters with common research interests and to initiate new research projects and applications for project funding.
2. Publications: Edited Book and Journal Article
Within an edited book, members will be invited to contribute their perspective on the issue of "Privacy Online". For the book - in addition to the network members - other authors will be invited. Furthermore, the resuts of a cooperative international online survey (cf. below) will be published in a journal article.
3. Research: Co-operative Online Survey
In addition to an international discussion on the web 2.0 and privacy issues, network members will have the chance to collaborate by carrying out an online survey. A number of collaborative research questions will be mapped out in the course of the workshops. The survey will be distributed in the home countries of all network memebers, thus offering the chance to investigate current research questions on privacy and the Social Web with an inter-cultural sample of participants.
