Doxing, regulation, and privacy protection: expanding the behavioral consequences of the third-person effect

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the third-person effect in relation to the internet-related practice of doxing. A national phone survey with a representative sample of adult citizens (N = 486) was conducted in Taiwan. The respondents reported that they were exposed to mediated messages about doxing through social media or news media. They tended to find others more vulnerable to the influence of media than themselves. The self-other discrepancy of perceived media influence was found to be associated with support for regulating doxing and intentions to engage in doxing. Perceived media influence on others was also found to motivate people to protect their privacy. The findings inform public opinion about doxing and expand the range of behavioral consequences that perceived media influence might induce.KEYWORDS: Doxingthird-person effectmedia restrictionprivacy behaviorsocial media Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by City University of Hong Kong [grant number Strategic Research Grant#7004935].Notes on contributorsStella C. ChiaStella C. Chia received her doctoral degree at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University in Montreal Canada.Yanqing SunYanqing Sun received her doctoral degree at the City University of Hong Kong and is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the Human University in China.Fangcao LuFangcao Lu also received her doctoral degree at the City University of Hong Kong and is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care at the University of Hong Kong.Andrea GudmundsdottirAndrea Gudmundsdottir received her master degree at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Media and Communication at the City University of Hong Kong.