Controlling social media flow: avoiding unwanted publication

Abstract

Social media blurs the boundaries of social life and brings together different spheres such as family, work or friends in the same online space. Users begin to post less intimate details about themselves, and they want to see fewer details of the private lives of others as well. Users want to better control what they read on social media. This paper studies the use of information and communication technology in social and cultural context. A qualitative approach provides a rich and detailed description of contexts and motivations of social media use. It shows that users are still negotiating the endless flow of information coming from social media.