Proper Self-Disclosure and Privacy in Social Media as a Means Against Online Identity Theft as Perceived by the College Students

Abstract

Identity theft, a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of personal information to impersonate someone else, confronts many social media users. Its number of cases is continuously growing in the digital age and in a generation where social media has become a part of life. This study was conducted to determine if proper self-disclosure and privacy will be able to raise awareness about the growing number of online theft. This issue increased the awareness of the youth, especially the students, about the boundaries of social media. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the researchers conducted a survey and interview among seventy (70) college students of St. Mary’s College, Quezon City. Results revealed that proper disclosure and privacy management are considered tools to lessen the cases of online identity theft on social media. With the immense and uncontrollable number of social media users, it is recommended to continually prompt said users to be vigilant of identity thefts online through various forms of information campaigns.