Social Media Information Privacy - Risks vs. Perceived Benefits: An Analysis of Motivations to Join LinkedIn

SNSs rely on users' willingness to self-disclose (Gruzd & García 2018). Many professionals shy away from Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok citing concerns about privacy as well as the risk of possible backlash from liking or sharing the wrong post or opinion (Vitak & Kim 2014). Many fear the loss of income, a career setback, or being ostracized. However, the average professional has a public Linkedin Account that details private information e.g. education, and employment history - from which one can discern their income, location, etc. Utilizing thematic and discourse analysis, this study sought to uncover how the risks and perceived benefits of self-disclosure on social media are measured by young professionals, that predicate the motivation to join a professional SNS - Linkedin? The findings indicate that evolving talent acquisition trends fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread social media adoption by employers and talent recruiters as well as high unemployment rates among other factors influence young professionals to join Linkedin.