Privacy Concerns in Social Commerce: The Impact of Gender

Ibrahim Mutambik (), John Lee, Abdullah Almuqrin, Justin Zuopeng Zhang, Mohammed Baihan and Abdulrhman Alkhanifer
Additional contact information
Ibrahim Mutambik: Department of Information Science, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh P.O. Box 11451, Saudi Arabia
John Lee: School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, 10 Crichton St., Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK
Abdullah Almuqrin: Department of Information Science, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh P.O. Box 11451, Saudi Arabia
Justin Zuopeng Zhang: Department of Management, Coggin College of Business, University of North Florida, 1 UNF DRIVE, Building 42, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
Mohammed Baihan: Department of Computer Science, Community College, King Saud University, Riyadh P.O. Box 11451, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrhman Alkhanifer: Department of Computer Science, College of Computer and Information Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh P.O. Box 11451, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-22

Abstract: Today, social commerce is one of the most rapidly growing subsectors of e-commerce, creating new opportunities for brands of all types and sizes. However, despite its popularity and potential, social commerce faces significant challenges, including issues of privacy, trust and ethics. This paper sets out to identify key aspects of privacy which influence ongoing user engagement with social commerce, so that social media, and other social commerce, platforms can more effectively address the issue. In particular, the paper seeks to determine the extent to which these aspects of privacy are a function of gender and, therefore, to increase our understanding of the role of gender in determining a user’s likelihood of sustainable engagement with s-commerce. To explore these issues, the study deploys a mixed methodology (semi-structured interviews and questionnaires) to examine the views of a broad demographic of s-commerce users in Saudi Arabia. The results allowed us to identify three distinct aspects of online privacy that significantly influence the likelihood of engaging in s-commerce and also demonstrated that the relative importance of these aspects is a function of gender. The study enhances current understanding of the role of gender in intention to use s-commerce and provides a framework for further research. The findings of the study will be of interest to all parties involved in the design and provision of s-commerce services, including social media platforms.

Keywords: social commerce; social media; privacy concerns; sustainable behaviour; gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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