“What is collected, how much, and what is it used for?” : A comparative qualitative interview study of different media generations' perceptions and attitudes towards data surveillance on digital media platforms.

Sammanfattning: As digitalization and technology has quickly advanced over the recent years, marketers are becoming increasingly reliant on collecting user data, and targeted advertising has therefore come to be viewed as a form of data surveillance. Due to marketers' ability to analyze online behavior and target consumers with personalized advertising, users are becoming more concerned about their online privacy. Therefore, the main purpose of this research study is to examine different perceptions, attitudes, and experiences towards online privacy, specifically towards the aspect of targeted advertisement. Furthermore, the fast-developed technological world is constantly changing people's perspectives. Hence, this paper seeks to investigate whether different generations of media users have different perceptions. The empirical material for this study was gathered through a qualitative approach and was collected through two focus group interviews conducted from a comparative angle. The findings revealed that both generations were very negative and critical of data collection and showed mistrust of digital media platforms. Furthermore, despite both generations expressing strong privacy concerns and claiming to value privacy highly, their actions demonstrated the opposite, which is consistent with the theoretical concept of privacy paradox. Moreover, the findings revealed that certain attitudes and perceptions towards online privacy differ between digital natives and digital immigrants. The most significant distinction between the generations is the substantial lack of knowledge and awareness of digital immigrants. The findings suggest that digital immigrants need to be more enlightened regarding the function of new technological aspects, such as targeted advertisements. This is required for them to be more informed, hence reducing the risk of them feeling misled, concerned, and monetized. For users to feel secure using the internet, more laws and regulations are needed.