Social Media 3.0: What Experts Dream of and Users Like! The Evaluation of Mainstream Online Social Networks and Alternative Online Social Network Models by Adolescents and Adults – An Expert-Opinion, Scenario-Based Approach

Sindermann, Cornelia, University of Stuttgart (cornelia.sindermann@iris.uni-stuttgart.d) / Löchner, Nana, Ulm University (nana.loechner@uni-ulm.de) / Heinzelmann, Rebecca, Ulm University (rebecca@karriereheld.team) / Montag, Christian, Ulm University (christian.montag@uni-ulm.de) / Scholz, Roland W., Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (scholzr@emeritus.ethz.ch)

1Mainstream online social networks like Facebook and TikTok are often criticized for employing the user-related, advertisement-based revenue model with potentially detrimental consequences. For instance, experts fear that mainstream online social networks are designed to foster excessive use (“Social Networks Use Disorder”) because of this revenue model. Additionally, experts draw attention to filtering and recommender systems limiting the diversity of viewpoints provided to users, and biasing – or even radicalizing – individuals’ opinions as a consequence (“filter bubble”). Moreover, experts are concerned about companies behind online social networks exploiting users for their data, thereby minimizing privacy (“surveillance capitalism”). Given these fears, experts often propose alternative online social network models, which are publicly debated. However, less is known about individual users’ attitudes toward both mainstream online social networks as they are currently designed, as well as alternatives. The present work aimed at closing this knowledge gap.

2For the present transdisciplinary work, six semi-structured interviews with three independent researchers and three practitioners from various disciplines were conducted. Based on transcriptions of those interviews by two independent raters and the knowledge derived from them, three scenarios were constructed. Each scenario described a different kind of online social network: One reflected the status quo. Another one presented a platform on which individuals could decide whether to “pay with money” or to “pay with data”. The final one described a public-service broadcasting online social network.

3Taking into account the privacy-calculus theory, in-depth evaluations of each scenario were assessed from a quota sample of adolescents (N = 1,248; 12-18 years of age, M = 15.08, SD = 1.96 years) and a quota sample of adults (N = 970; 18+ years of age, M = 45.84, SD = 15.44). In addition, exploratory investigations were conducted to examine the relations of sociodemographic factors and personality with individual differences in those evaluations.

4Online Social Networks / Privacy Calculus / Personality / Scenario Construction / Transdisciplinarity