Retrieve deleted text messages verizon

I (22F) had an uncle (28 or something M) who died of a heroin overdose. My uncle did have a hard youth, being arrested on possession charges for an extremely small amount of weed, and being arrested again for fighting back when being mugged. This part of his life is sad and I empathizs with it. He was unable to go to college for this reason, but never seemed like the academic type anyway and ended up working as a bartender. My mom was convinced that before his OD he had been sending her secret messages that only she could decipher asking for help getting clean, which of course was unlikely the case. My mom (50f) and grandparents and aunt all grieved for my uncle and spoke incessantly about him for some reason for a solid 4 years, which is weird because I have another uncle from that side of the family who passed a year earlier due to cancer and was NOT met with the same response at all. My family was unable to smile for almost two years.
Now everyone has gotten better.... except my mom. Often, she will post a picture of my brother (14m) wearing an item belonging to my uncle or doing something "just like my uncle" and make some kind of comment (ie, "just like his uncle Jaime with those skinny jeans!" "Trying on one of Uncle Jaime's hats!" "He makes that face like his uncle!" Etc . In 2022 my brother expressed to me that he was uncomfortable with this and so I told my parents, but my mom has kept going. My brother is homeschooled and has very few role models- because of this he has been struggling with a lot of gender issues (proclaiming that he is a trans woman or nonbinary and changing his mind/citing peer pressure a month after, etc) and other identity issues (figuring out what his goals and interests are). I don't think my brother should be compared to a drug addict. My mom thinks I am being "callous" and using a "bootstrap mindset" and "being unaccepting to those with mental illness and drug dependency" when in reality I am the only person in my family who carries narcan and naloxone, has taken advanced courses on neuropharmacology of drug addiction, and have since started a PhD on a very similar topic. I know how heroin addiction works. At the same time, I know that most users were exposed to heroin unintentionally (ie, through surgery or other medical procedure,, an abusive partner, etc) and my uncle straight up did lots of drugs for fun. My mom argues that this was because he had autism and depression (both of which my brother has AND I HAVE but being a woman doesn't count I guess) and that's why he took it.
My mom also brings up my uncle ALL THE TIME to people who did not meet him. My boyfriend came over for dinner and we ate ribs. He texted my mom to thank her, telling her he enjoyed the ribs. She replied "this is because I made the ribs with a sauce that has the same name as my brother who died and I bought it because they shared the same name so I put the sauce on things to help remember my brother" (my uncle did not know this sauce even existed.)
My mom gets very upset when I express that I just don't care this much about this uncle and don't think he was even a very good person but ESPECIALLY wasn't worth comparing my brother to or thinking about all day but idk, AITAH

I have a comment I made on a NSFW sub that I want to delete in order to switch my account to SFW
When o go to my comment history on the phone app and click the comment the app just freezes
When I go to my desktop the comment doesn’t show up in my comment history
I messaged a mod from the sub where I made the comment, sent them the link and they told me that they deleted it, but the comment still shows up in my comment history
Is there anything more that I can do?

My mom and I have been screaming at each other for the past 4 days because she is insisting that I must find a roommate for college. I have talked to about 10 people already and they have either ended in ghosting, an agreement that the two of us would be better of friends, or them deciding to stay with someone else.
To the average college freshman I’m a pretty undesirable roommate. I go to bed around 9:30 PM so I can get up for swim practice at 6 AM (something that will continue in college) and I don’t really like to party. I’m not going to a school where there’s tons of athletes, so it’s been hard to find someone who will also fit my schedule.
A few days ago, my mom saw this other mom’s Facebook post about her daughter wanting to find a roommate. Despite the fact that I asked my mom to not get involved in the roommate process multiple times, she just couldn’t help herself.
I decided a long time ago that I wanted to have a randomly selected roommate. It saves me time and energy. Plus, if it turns out we aren’t compatible, we can go our separate ways. Since my mom connected with this other mom, she has been driving me insane about connecting with this woman’s daughter.
Just to get my mom off my back, we exchanged a couple of Instagram messages, but it was very clear to me that this girl was not looking for compatibility, but just to get the process over with. She also came across as a little judgmental of some of my responses. My mom is insisting that I don’t know her and I need to FaceTime with her in order to actually get to know her.
I have no interest in doing this. I’m fine with my choice to have a random roommate, but my mom is not. She has quite literally been screaming at me to FaceTime with this girl. Just today my mom sent me a text about FaceTiming with the girl and when I didn’t answer it, my mom sent the exact same text an hour later.
I really do believe that my mom is trying to live vicariously through me. She keeps mentioning that when she went to college she didn’t have the opportunity to choose a roommate, so I’m being selfish and stubborn by not taking my opportunity to do so. Personally, I don’t think it’s that deep, but I’m get so fed up with being yelled at.
I also asked my mom politely to let me be an adult and do this process by myself. She has refused to let me do that and has been continuously messaging this mom on Facebook saying that I would love to talk to her daughter.
I don’t think I’m being the a-hole, but what do I know, I’m just an “immature stubborn mule” in the words of my mom.

I think I’m falling out of love. My boyfriend and I have been together for only about a year. Before we started dating, I told him about all the things that I would not condone in a relationship and if he doesn’t agree with what my thoughts are (mainly regarding cheating) then I would rather not date. He agreed to it and promised that he would respect my boundaries. Just for context here are some of my big no no’s in a relationship (some people might not agree but we are all different and I’m not pushing it to the other person):
No girl bestfriends No lying No Corn
That was mainly it.
A couple months into the relationship I was introduced to a girl “friend” which I later found out to be his best friend. That night when we were at a house party I saw them two in a room whispering to each other and laughing. It didn’t sit right with me but we were new so I ignored it but let him know that I’m not comfortable with them being so close.
It just snowballed from there.
Long story short, after a couple of months of dating, one by one my boundaries got thrown out.
I found out that he does have a girl best friend, and they’ve done something before.
I found out that he was a porn addict.
I found out that he was a liar, even with the little things that you don’t need to lie about.
My checklist of no no’s got checked off.
Naturally, I broke up with him. Before you tell me that I am insecure, I’m not. I just want the respect that I give be given to me. Countless cheating and a physically abusive relationship has taught me that I deserve better and I would rather be single that be with a man who does not respect me.
He was miserable after and I can see that. I was hurt, deeply. The trust that was so hard to give felt like it was stomped on.
He courted me again for a few months to prove that he changed. After a while I forgave him and we got back together.
He’s been nothing but good to me but my gut is telling me that something is off.
He has no problem with me checking his phone when I want to but when I check it, it’s clean. Too clean. Almost as if it was wiped clean. Even the deleted messages is gone.
His girl best friend has been cut off (supposedly) but she is back in town and I have a feeling they are meeting behind my back.
These past weeks we were doing great but I find myself thinking, what if I didn’t get back together with him?
Every time I ask him about something, all I can think about is if he’s lyinng to me again.
I don’t see myself growing old with him but I am scared of what could be if I stick with him.
Any advice?

So I had this infp friend (27m) i met through a game 2 years ago.
We only know each other online because he lives in the Netherlands and i live in Switzerland.
We've been really good friends, then one time i vented to him about my toxic ex and other problems in my life and he kinda started flirting with me. I always just thought he was playing around or joking and i like him too much as a friend to risk losing him for a relationship.
I went mia for almost 6 months and then I contacted him again and everything was fine, we got really close to rach other and i started realising my feelings towards him.
The problem is that one day i was really mentally not okay so i left him on delivered for the entire day and the next day i noticed a change in the tone of his texting. As an ENFP i tend to know how other people feel just by reading their text messages and noticing changes in their writing patterns so I told him that I felt something was off and want to know if everything's alright and he kinda acted defensive. And then the day after we barely texted and then he left me on delivered when i was telling him about the fact that i had a funny dream and that he was in it.
It's been 2 weeks since he left me on delivered and one week since i contacted him in the game and he acted kinda normal but I have a feeling that he's taking his distance because i might have gave him the idea that i wasn't interested at all.
Yesterday I confessed through messages and told him that i have feelings for him. And because i didn't want to prsssure him i told him that I'm sorry if it made him uncomfortable and that I'll figure my feelings out so that i won't make things awkward. This way i left the ball on his side and he can chose what to say or do.
I still haven't gotten a response from him so I'm trying to get some advice from other infps to know if i did something wrong or if i could do something to fix things with him.

Earlier today I was scammed by a fake food catering company.
We agreed on a price, and they asked for payment through Revolut. I have used Revolut for 2 years and never had any issues, so I believed this to be a safe payment method. A delivery time was agreed on, and I sent the money. An hour past the delivery time, I contacted the 'catering company' and had no response. I checked their facebook page and realised I had either been blocked, or the page had been taken down.
I immediately contacted Revolut to minimise the risk of the money being gone, submitted mountains of evidence and screenshots and text explaining the entire situation in detail from beginning till end, and was met with generic and very slow AI / bot responses asking for details I had already provided.
This slow conversation goes on for 5 hours, explaining the situation over and over again and submitting evidence with 3 separate customer support agents, listening to them victim blame and eventually say 'we can't do anything without a police report'. This is not true as in the UK they are FCA regulated, and I had submitted definitive evidence of the fraud, and all messages being ignored after payment was made. On top of this, I'd already mentioned to all the support agents that the police are not willing to do anything over a relatively small amount of money.
Trust me, I feel like an idiot for falling for a scam, but what can I do now? Revolut are aware of the amount of UK scams through the combination of both facebook and Revolut and have done nothing about it. People have lost multiple thousands of pounds and not been refunded. Revolut are now ignoring my messages (ironic) and I feel unbelievably sad that this has happened, and can't seem to get my mind off it. Any tips?

Yeah I know the answers usually no. But this time was different ( never heard that one before have ya lol ). But really.
I met a girl at a gas station a few weeks ago, when I spoke to her I mentioned her lanyard and she perked up and smiled. We talked for a few minutes and then continued on with life. Normal interaction really, but my coworker took note and told me that was was into me based off of what he saw.
Anyways I met her again a few days later, and same scenario. She remembered me, smiled, we said a few jokes and then when I was leaving she said "come back and see me". Which idk I could be looking to into it but I feel like saying "me" instead of "come back and see us' is way more personal.
So yesterday I ran into her again. We smiled, waved, and I went to shopping. I was planning on giving her my number that day. But when I went to checkout she was gone, I asked another worker and apparently she ran off crying. So me being curious/ concerned stuck around a few minutes. Eventually she came back and I asked her if she was okay. She explained her pet had just died and it was really effecting her. We talked for about 15 minutes this time and she seemed to cheer up. she asked if I live nearby, I said yeah, told her what I for work blah blah blah and learned her schedule. Really time flew by.
So before I left, based off how positive it was going I asked for her number. She seemed ecstatic and quickly wrote it down with a heart on it then gave it to me.
Few hours pass and I text her, basically giving her my number and such. But it's now been somewhere around 30 hours and still no reply. My messages have had issues in the past where mine don't actually send and or I don't receive messages. I know this for a fact. But I sorta doubt this is what's happening. But I don't understand, she seemed so happy while we chatted. So whats up? Should I double text? Drop it? I'm super interested in learning about her but I don't want to be a creep. Due to work it'll be at least 3 weeks before I could see her again in person

Together for 2 years now
One thing could go wrong and it will basically ruin her entire day. And this happens every day. And I won’t hear the end of it and I’m expected to console her and be stable and put my issues aside to make her feel validated. The first few times I was OK with is. But after two years together I feel trapped in our conversations. I don’t feel like I have room to talk because I always have to be steady for one thing or the other.
She could have a person be rude to her at work (she works as a lawyer) and I’ll have to hear about it all day. And I love listening to her. But she’ll message me from work at 12 being like “Lisa is being an absolute dick again. I can not believe she would say this”, and then throughout the day until she gets home she’ll text me about it. Then when she’s actually home, we’ll have dinner and once we’re done, she just continues talking about it. Usually until we sleep, at 12. And that’s happens at least 5 times a week. At some point I can’t give any advice anymore. All I can do is be supportive but it drains my energy that her entire life revolves around her work politics and plotting how to rebel against her coworkers. And I feel for her, I do, but work life balance is non existent when all your conversations with me ( or a good 80%) are about your coworkers. She will also straight up just say I can’t complain whenever I mention myself, because “my job isn’t as hard (i’m a pre-K teacher).
How do I approach this? Whenever I try she gets mad.
EDIT I should add that she does get upset when my response is not helpful enough. Even tho usually the situations she describes are the same; a coworker makes a snarky comment, and it absorbs her entire day.

Pardon formatting, I’m on my mobile device. Also this is a bit of a long one.
Like the title says, I’m trying to find out if I’m totally out of touch and expecting too much from my husband or if my expectations are reasonable. I’ll try to explain this the best I can.
So this week my mother asked for help moving things to a new storage locker. At first she just assumed my husband would help and didn’t properly ask him, to which he was irritated. He said he doesn’t like anyone to assume his help without asking, and that a majority of time he won’t do anything unless it’s on his time. Which I can somewhat understand. However in my family growing up I was just expected to help family when they need it. So he did say he would help, mostly because he didn’t want me being stuck doing all that.
Small details to add are that my mom has been unmarried and alone for most of my life. We are close-nit. And sometimes she has projects she’s doing that are kind of spur of the moment and spontaneous. To which I have gotten used to and I don’t mind jumping up and helping her when she needs it. So for the storage locker issue she had a time constraint to get all of her stuff out of the old one and into the new one as soon as possible.
So this week my husband and I said we’d help her yesterday, to which we ended up not being able to due to rain and poor weather conditions. So she didn’t reschedule but I figured she’d be asking for help again this week. To which she did this morning. I of course said yes. And it was spontaneous of her I’ll admit, but my husband was planning to spend the day with me today so I woke up and texted him that I was going to be helping my mom today and asked if he was still able to help her out? Well he slept in late and I couldn’t get ahold of him (we aren’t currently living together but trying to work on our marriage), so my mom had promised us a free meal if we helped her. Since I couldn’t get ahold of him and expected him to sleep a long time and my mom needed to get this done, we went ahead and went to the restaurant to eat. He woke up and messaged me while I was there and I asked him if he was going to help and if there was something I could order for him. He said he’d be on his way in 30 minutes, but then he was like “so what, I’m helping out for cold food?”. Super rude and entitled and I called him to get more details because I thought maybe we were miscommunicating. He basically said “we were supposed to do that yesterday and now you want me to do it on my time and I don’t even get a meal out of it now” and hung up on me. I didn’t call back nor did he nor have I received an apology for how he spoke to me.
He hasn’t said anything to me all day. So I guess I’m wondering if this is normally how men treat their wives? Even if it’s something they absolutely loath to do and it isn’t on their schedule (oh another side note is he in not employed right now and hasn’t been for about 2 months) wouldn’t a husband that loves his wife want to do heavy lifting for her if he had the chance? I would do it for my partner even if it was kind of a somewhat last minute thing.
I feel a little let down and like he doesn’t care about me. Am I overreacting? Asking for too much? I can’t help but think a real MAN would jump at the opportunity to make his wife’s life easier.
If you’ve made it this far thanks for reading!

Hey all, this is just me venting.
Growing up, I had absolutely no privacy in my house.. all my journals were read and my secrets threatened to be exposed to others. And my whole family would laugh as they read my deepest feelings, but that's the least of things.
So i grew up secretive, and i dont tell my parents ANYTHING more than surface things. And i can't let them know i have emotions.. ever.. but that comes from other things that i won't get into.
When i was young, i used my mom's email address to create my fb account bc i didn't have my own at the time. It's always bothered me that it was linked to her email but i don't think i can change it without deleting my account.
But today, she says she accidentally reset my password as she was trying to log into her "own account" (that is not associated with that email address) and i actually do believe her that it was a mistake, but i just KNOW she read my messages with my boyfriend (she's very nosy) and i want to throw up bc i tell him everything, all my deepest insecurities and emotions and we also engage in BDSM type talk and knowing that she probably read all of that... oh god
Like gosh i feel like ripping my skin off.. how do i get over this ??

Hello, San Diegans!
Adults who have a history of a mental health diagnosis such as anxiety, major depressive disorder, or schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder are needed for a social connections research study. Dr. Taylor (PEARL) and his colleague, Dr. Colin Depp at the UCSD Cognitive Dynamics Lab are conducting a research study to further our knowledge about how individuals with mental health concerns think about their relationships and ask for help from others.
You may qualify for the study if you are between the ages of 18 and 65 years old, can provide informed consent, and speak English proficiently.
If you choose to participate, you will first undergo several procedures to determine if you are eligible for the study. Then, you will complete a series of tasks over the course of a year with 3 main visits. Each visit lasts around 3.5-4 hours. At each visit, we will confirm eligibility and ask you to do a series of tasks that assess social cognition, help-seeking behaviors, and investigate your social networks. You will also complete 3 sets of 30 days of text message surveys (at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months). Lastly, you will have three additional follow-up visits lasting 30 minutes each.
Each part of the study has its own compensation. In total, you can earn up to $445.00 for participating in the entire study.
If you are interested in learning more about this study and believe you are eligible, please fill out an interest form and one of our research staff members will contact you with more information: https://my.ctri.ucsd.edu/surveys/?s=7HJ9FJ7J8RPRK3J9
Thank you!
Flier with QR code for research study interest form

The one that got away
So I don’t know how to start this but I meet this girl on a dating app and we were talking, everything was amazing even the first time we met up. She spent the night over because she was too drunk to drive home so was I was very hesitant because this person at that time was a stranger but we just vibe so well. After that day we just keep hanging out and exploring places in SD, I got to really get to know this person so well and deeply that we had so much in common, Music, ideas, etc. I started to like this girl so much but the only thing I didn’t like was she was talking to her ex still but for a reason. She had to pay him back for something which I thought It was totally fine but it started to get to a point where she was like “ugh he is just pissing me off and I can’t take this with him.” Also she would bring up certain things with him to me which I thought was weird to me because even though I knew they lived with each other about a two years ago and broke up a year ago. I never seen somebody talk about their ex so much even though it was all bad things about him but even still have contact with him. I would kinda tease her about it sometimes like “oh sounds like you guys are still together.” She denies it and says fucker I like you not him anymore but it got to a point I would say stuff like that out of concern which one day, we had a conversation about it and she said I would bring him up all the time. I never dealt with that before, so even though I know this is wrong I went on a the same dating app I found her on and was looking and I saw her sister friend at the time and I didn’t know the friend at the time so I swipe on her and we didn’t match but I get a call from the girl I was talking to and she was telling me how could I do this and everything else, which she is right I should of never done that. I just felt like she was so drawn on her ex and having conversations with him that I was going try and see what else was out there but after that we came to a agreement on just keep talking to each other. Months go by and we fall for each other, we aren’t in a relationship yet because I just feel so doubtful that it could work because in my mind she is still talking to her ex. She wants to be my girlfriend but I just kept telling her let’s wait because of the ex stuff, I didn’t tell her that but she got it. We have each others location and spring break comes, I don’t know what happened but my location stops working for her. I leave to go back home. She gets worried about not seeing it and wants to fix it and I tried to but it wouldn’t work for me even showing her that it didn’t but then I told her, I’m going be spending time with my family because I never get to see them because I play college football and she got that but it’s also my fault because I spent so much time with them and it was my birthday week so I got new things but I got crocs that had I heart N which was from my mom which represented my uncle who passed which his name started with a N but I kinda gave her slow responses to her so the break ends and she’s worried that I might have a another girl back home. I tried telling her I don’t but I wanted her to come over since I’ve been gone for a week and she had gifts for my birthday that past so everything was good but I had practice so I go to practice and I get text messages from my family friend telling me she is texting her on instagram and texting her on her phone. I couldn’t go back home to ask why she is doing that but after practice I call her and she is literally back at her house and telling me you lied to me and I know what you did and I’m done with you. She literally took an edible and drove home which I think is crazy but she is so high and I tell her on the phone which I was mad asf but had to keep my cool. What is going on and she says I have proof of you lying to me and I told her send it to me. She takes forever to send it but she does and it’s my crocs with the N and she tries to say my family friend is the girl so we go back and forth but then she realize that it wasn’t and says sorry for leaving and she also got in a argument with her mom but I tell her I think we need to just slow down we are just dating and you are doing these things. She agrees and we kinda slow down, after this she is still stalking my family friend but the spring comes to an end and I go back home. I hang with my friends back at home and she is still stalking my family friend, she doesn’t know that my family friend has a boyfriend and keeps looking at her stories and thinks it’s me so she jumps to conclusions and breaks up with me. I keep tryna tell her it’s not me and she keeps saying it is but we come to a agreement again and she asks me why do I still wanna date her when she’s done that and I tell her I just like you so much and wanna see where it can go more. You are the only one I want. Which is true and still is because this is fresh but about some weeks ago she tells me her ex and her been talking for about two weeks I didn’t know any of this but she already told him that she wants me and not him anymore but he didn’t wanna let go and she was just paying him back but he started to make conversation with her and they were just talking like friends but couple weeks ago he confessed to her about wanting her back and wants her to drop me and come back to him but they have a long bad history and she told him I’m not doing that to him, I want him in my life not you just move on and he literally pass out or something while driving because he wasn’t getting sleep or something and she calls me and tells me everything that went on and shit mad me so mad that she still was talking to him because I knew he would do something like that but he gives her a ultimatum of it’s either me or him and she told me that and tells him the next day I’m sticking with him. She couldn’t and wouldn’t go back to that place he put her in so after that I’m pissed off about that whole shit and keeping contact with him. A week ago, my family friends car stops working and asks me to take her to target get and I did because why wouldn’t I help so I do that and we are just laughing and talking then I take a .5 picture of her with my crocs half way in it and she posted it but next thing that happens is I get a text from the girl and she says fuck me, bye then blocks me on the phone and it hurt so fucking much like I still think about it and tried to tell her I wasn’t doing anything with my family friend but I was blocked. I start to post on my story and she just watches them and not saying anything and I don’t say anything as well but then she posts something about karma is coming for the people that lied to me and did me wrong which hurt because I truly wasn’t doing nothing. I didn’t wanna text her because I was still shocked that she would do that then days go by and she stops watching it. I saw she keep opening and closing her account on instagram so when she opened it again I like some new pictures of her then she texts and delete so I asked her what did she say and she said why am I liking her shit and I need to stop because my little girlfriend isn’t going like that like just being so petty then tells me I’m going block you on Instagram too so I started feeling that sad feeling and told her don’t let me just talk to you and I’m not even home I’m literally in a different state which was two days ago but I tell her everything that I love her and wanna fix it. I don’t wanna lose her but she tells me she isn’t changing her mind and I’m begging her because I truly love this girl but we come to some agreement of seeing each other Tuesday when I got back in the state so I text her and tell her my flight is going be late maybe let me stay over because I know her mom a little and her mom likes me so I said maybe I could do that and we can just talk but then she tells me that’s not a good idea and she isn’t doing that so I keep trying and trying but she says we can talk on the phone when I land so I said fine I’m cool with that. Side story when she did block me I had her YouTube still on my PlayStation so I’m looking at the music she is listening to and it’s songs that are just heartbreaks and I’m trying to put songs on her history and YouTube playlist so she can see what I’m tryna tell her but I don’t think she saw it but back to the main story. I landed and I was going to go text her I landed let’s talk but before I went on instagram to see if she unfollowed people because I just couldn’t stop thinking about her being with someone else even right now but I see she blocked me on instagram so I go to text her on her phone number and I was blocked. I had a whole letter for her and she hasn’t even seen it and it just hurts so much because I want this girl like she just matches me and it just happened two days ago so I am really hurting bad. I don’t know what to do I feel so alone but I just want her bad like what can I do and I know the story is everywhere but it’s so hard to type this out. I don’t know if anyone wants to hear all of it, maybe I can make a discord or something but I don’t know what to do and I don’t want nobody else but her

I (F19) have met this guy (M19) who, to summarize, i’ve fallen for. It’s a long story that I don’t want to go into, but we decided to part ways because he’s going to become a father. I wanted to give him a chance, given that he told me early on and he’s being responsible, but he broke things off due to “not wanting to get me involved”. When I asked about his relationship with his bm, he said that they only dated for 4 months due to how toxic they were, plus she cheated. She basically called him two months after they broke up to tell him that she was pregnant. I feel like that story doesn’t add up, but id rather not question it.
Now, when we spoke for the last time, he kept speaking as if we were going to try later on in the future. For example, he would say “Whether it’s me or someone else, I want you to be happy” or like “Oh trust me, I will still stalk your socials and everything”. He kept taking about moving on as if HE wasn’t ready to move on. When the conversation ended, he asked if he could give me a hug. I said yes, and that man hugged me and inhaled me so hard I was shocked. Now, heres where you think, “Oh, they are done for good and will no longer speak”. Me too, but I was wrong.
As soon as I went into my house, he texted me “I’m crazy over you”. That text itself turned into playful flirting here and there for the next days. One day, he just stopped responding to me, and sure it did bother me but I didn’t think much of it. He was still stalking my socials.
2 weeks had passed and I bought a new phone. When I transferred all the data, it showed that instead of him leaving me on read it was ME who did (my messages were being problematic so I wasn’t surprised). I didn’t want to look like a hypocrite, so I did the common, decent thing anyone would: texted him asking if he received my last message and that im sorry of I left him hanging. I expect him to just say something that would end the convo but no, he asked me how I was. I said I was good, and asked him how he was. That was last Thursday, and he left me hanging with “Im good, and you?”.
His birthday came up 4 days after that convo and I did NOT text him happy birthday, after all we are not friends and he’s the one ignoring me. Just yesterday I posted something very stupid to my Whatsapp story, and mind you he doesn’t use WhatsApp at all. Guess who viewed my story? him. Now im just confused because he asked ME a question, yet is ignoring me? I am 99.9 percent sure that his feelings towards me were genuine, and again he still keeps tabs on me (hell, he even changed his WhatsApp pfp JUST so that I could see it, and his old pfp was from like 2021). Do any of you know what might be going on? Is there perhaps a reason why he hasn’t texted me back? He doesn’t owe me anything obviously, but I still think it’s a dick move to not respond to someone when YOU asked a question. Im also pretty sure his phone is in do not disturb 24/7 since I saw it once.

Navigating The Privacy Tightrope: User Concerns on Social Media Engagement

Name
Department
University
Email

Abstract
This study analyses consumer concerns about privacy in social media engagement, the factors influencing these concerns, and provides strategies for handling them. To achieve this objective, this paper provides feedback on two vital questions (What are the primary concerns of social media users regarding privacy? And What factors contribute to these concerns?) that guide this research. The paper uses qualitative analysis to obtain analyze data. Lastly, the paper provides suggestions for future research and solution
I. INTRODUCTION
In the current digitized world, many people are increasingly sharing their information with the public through social media. However, this act of sharing their details through electronic gadgets such as smartphones has and still increases the risk of privacy violations as people engage through social media. One of the events that significantly deepened consumer privacy concerns in the United States was the Cambridge Analytica data breach on Facebook half a decade ago, which affected many user accounts in the land. This data breach initiated the #deletefacebook movement across social networking sites culminating in many users reconsidering their connections with social media platforms about their trustworthiness, and potential for confidential issues. For one section of users, this meant signing out of these sites while the other section considered it as a chance to reset their confidential settings. According to Bright et al, user privacy concerns differ across sites in the user journey, and only a few sites are developed equally when it comes to user concerns as well as disclosures specifically in connection to social networking sites (1). Throughout this duration of redefining their connections with social networking sites, users find themselves coping with the "privacy paradox" and despite having privacy concerns, online users persist in disclosing their private details for distinct reasons, rather than safeguarding their details online. Therefore, this paper investigates [consumer concerns about privacy in social media engagement, and factors influencing these concerns, and provides strategies for handling them]().
A. Research problem
Social media plays a significant role in promoting interaction and sharing of information among users from all over the world. However, sharing of information over social media sites has and still increases the risk of privacy violations as people engage through social media. It's from this, that this paper settled on evaluating the consumer concerns about privacy in social media engagement, factors influencing these concerns, and providing strategies for tackling them.
B. Aim and Objectives
This study is determined to analyze the user concerns about privacy in social media engagement, highlight the primary factors influencing these concerns, and provide recommendations on desired approaches for handling them.
C. Research question
[1. What are the primary concerns of social media users regarding privacy?]()
2. What factors contribute to these concerns?
II. EXTENDED BACKGROUND
Social media has grown to become the modern-day routine. Currently, many social networking sites are continuing to integrate to offer distinct digital affordances as well as chances to enlarge individual networks, interactions, and information sharing. The availability of these sites has significantly culminated in to rise in user engagement. For instance, TikTok is among the most used sites with a massive following of more than 750 million accounts. Currently, people are becoming more open to sharing individual data and with the aid of the modern digital culture, this has been made possible by utilizing the availability of internet service. Although social media is considered to be of great significance in facilitating communication and entertainment among users, it also stores noticeable repositories of individual details that culminate to privacy concerns. This threat of privacy breaches has continuously increased as social media are frequently accessed through applications on cell phones, where a substantial number of identifiable data is stored, aggregated, and linked across various social networking sites.
Even as the issue of privacy threat has attained massive attention and recognition, especially among people who use these platforms, many studies have reported the concept of privacy paradox, which implies discrepancies involving persons' habits of disclosing individual details and their concern concerning privacy threat. Even though social media users have an increasing concern concerning privacy on media platforms, they are willing to proceed to disclose their data for various gratifications. According to Chen et al, some social media users always show or rather demonstrate reduced effort to offer safety on their confidentiality despite showing significant concern associated with social media (2). On the contrary, there is also a section of social media consumers who are not naive in their revel actions (2). This brings us to an analysis of the historical evolution of social media platforms, the emergence of privacy concerns, and important theoretical frameworks particularly privacy calculus.
Typically, the rise of privacy is significantly connected to the fast growth of technologies and the growing nature of the modern digital space. History shows that privacy was mainly linked with physical and individual interactions. During this time, people were interacting at their homes and with immediate families. However, this was significantly changed by the massive evolution in the digital world. The development of social media sites, and the level of connectivity they provide initiated a new era of unprecedented access to individual information. The new developments have made it simple for people to share their stories and even sensitive information with just one click significantly subjecting one to underlying privacy perils. The world is experiencing significant growth or cases in several data breaches leading to massive breaches of private data to the public. Hackers always target unsuspecting firms or companies to access important details such as the profile of clients or company records which could result in various forms of exploitations. When such a breach happens, it severely affects both the company and the individuals because while the person's data is compromised so is the deterioration of trust in the organization by the public.
Privacy calculus (shown in Figure 1 in the appendix section) refers to the comprehension of privacy as well as safety trade-offs of a certain innovation or firm. It assumes that individuals will divulge individual details whenever the perceived rewards or advantages outweigh the potential cost. Kehr et al. ascertain that the choice of sharing information is associated with privacy calculus as the equilibrium between the rewards and the hazards of revealing individual details or data. A person's privacy calculus can be impacted by several factors including but not limited to the perceived value of the details being revealed and the repercussions of the disclosure. Additionally, the cultures and factors within the society might considerably influence privacy caliculus These factors include but are not limited to societal norms associated with privacy in specific locations. Research has indicated that the threshold of diversity which is always accompanied by the growing society has some considerable effect on the withdrawal from the globe making people even more sensitive to what they share with the public.
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study used a qualitative approach in analyzing the user concerns on social networking site engagement. Primarily, this method was applied in this study because it offers a significant opportunity for the researcher to devolve deeply into but not limited to nuances of consumer experiences, viewpoints as well as emotions. Compared to a quantitative approach which only focuses on numerical as well as statistical evaluations, the selected approach here delves deeply into the underlying inspirations, feelings, and means that drive consumer connections online. Approaches such as but not limited to interviews and focus groups provided a substantial opportunity for the researcher to unveil the intricate web of norms and values that significantly impact how consumers interact and their perception of social media sites.
Additionally, the qualitative approach substantially enabled the researcher to attain different consumer concerns. According to Van der Vlist, and Helmond, social networking sites are characterized by a sophisticated structure that comprises different cultures and subcultures with distinct practices as well as concerns (3). By applying a qualitative approach, an investigator can therefore attain immediate information precisely on the experiences of consumers over different populations, and locations. This great understating is significant because it helps to design comprehensive as well as consumer-centric sites that cater to the different requirements as well as tests of the audiences across the world.
Moreover, the qualitative approach offered the researcher a flexible and adaptable experience especially when analyzing emerging issues within social media and user engagement. As indicated by, Reynolds, and Bennett, the qualitative approach allows the use of their analytical paradigms to suit the certain features of emerging issues encompassed in social media as well as consumer involvement (4).
When collecting data, the research applied the following types of qualitative methods:
A. Interviews
Interviews offered a significant platform for participants to articulate their concerns using their own words thus providing the researcher with the desired information on the experiences and viewpoints of people using the complex domain of social media. By applying the open-ended questions, the researcher was able to analyze the profound inspirations that significantly provided limelight to the intricacies of social media. Besides, interviews helped in contextualizing the user concerns in the wider brackets of social and cultural settings in which they take place. By involving the respondents in the study through discussion, the researcher was able to identify factors that significantly influence consumers'' viewpoints and habits including but not limited to peer pressure and cultural ideals. The contextual comprehension offered great support especially in deciphering the motive behind consumer concerns and coming up with solutions or rather strategies that perfectly resonate with the distinct array of consumers globally. Lastly, the interview helped to foster significant discourse that involved the researcher and respondents. This helped in cementing trust and the needed help that improved the credibility of the research.
B. Questionnaires
This study also used questionnaires to obtain relevant data that assisted in the completion of this research. Typically, questionnaires are valuable equipment issued when collecting data because they can gather a significant number of standardized information effectively. This study started by clarifying the objective of the questionnaires to participants. The researcher applied an open-ended type of questionnaire and crafted questions that aided in the collection of data from the respondents. The questionnaires were delivered to participants through email surveys that significantly aligned with the features of the sample group as well as the study aims. The clarity of the communication in the email and privacy substantially fostered participant involvement in the study. Besides, the researcher ensured that the information provided through this tool was secured and systematically organized to foster the analysis of information. In a nutshell, the study implemented effective usage of questionnaires in collecting vital data in the study. The researcher adhered to the best practices and embraced the spirit of iterative refinement thus harnessing the complete ability of the questionnaires and advanced knowledge concerning user concerns on social media engagement.
The sampling technique applied in this study was purposeful approach. This approach is broadly applied in qualitative studies to identify data-rich scenarios for the most efficient usage of scarce resources (5). The sampling techniques comprise of coming up and choosing people or groups that possess knowledge concerning or have experience with the topic under study (5). Through the use of emails, the researcher chose respondents who met certain qualifications and offered valuable information concerning consumer concerns on social media. Based on the participants’ selection criteria, a purposeful sample of (n=60) was selected to participate in the survey.
The research used thematic analysis (TA) in analyzing data. TA has enabled the research to unveil the profound concerns that prevail more across social media consumers. Through a systematic analysis specifically of the content that is common among consumers, the research was able to pinpoint reappearing subjects that show shared concerns, and frustrations. For example, factors including but not limited to privacy issues, and cyberbullying frequently arise in literature addressing the concept of consumer concerns within the context of social media. Nevertheless, TA offered a structured framework that greatly helped in organizing as well as interpreting qualitative information. Through conducting a thorough grouping of information or rather data into topics and sub-topics, the research was able to attain a fundamental insight into the diverse range of issues from the consumers. As argued by Thompson, TA promotes the rigor as well as reliability of the study outcomes, making sure that conclusions are based on empirical proof (6).
Additionally, TA offered significant support in facilitating comparisons as well as synthesis over distinct studies. Considering the idea that the use of social media keeps on growing, investigators always face various pieces of publications addressing the same subjects. TA gives these investigators to highlight the similarities and differences across datasets thus facilitating the enrichment of their comprehension concerning consumer concerns. Despite the above merits of TA in this study, this approach also significantly fails in various areas especially when applied to data analysis (7). For instance, the TA does not have strict directives for completing an analysis. This might easily culminate in variability, particularly in the manner in which this approach is used in different studies, thus rendering it difficult to draw a comparison in findings or replicate studies.
IV. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The consideration of ethics within studies is paramount since it ensures that the studies are completed by observing integrity, respect as well as fairness specifically on respondents involved. It's vital to uphold ethical consideration because morally right and also helps to maintain the credibility of the research. This research upheld the ethical standards before, during, and after the study in various ways. Firstly, the researcher ensured that the idea of informed consent was considered by significantly providing vivid information to respondents so that they could come up with independent choices about their involvement in the study. The researcher also ensured that there was room for withdrawal from the research by any respondent if they felt to do so. The research also ensured the concepts of confidentiality and privacy were considered during the interview process. Research has shown that it is vital to offer respect to the privacy of respondents to enhance or build confidence and trust (8). Enria et al. Emphasizes the need to maintain privacy during the study process from information gathering up to publication to lock out unauthorized personnel or disclosure of personal details (8). In this study, the researcher adopted the necessary measures to offer the needed protection or security for sensitive data or details gathered during the interview and the study at large.
Furthermore, the researcher also took the responsibility of reducing harm and at the same time raising the benefits for respondents. The researcher achieved this carefully by offering potential safety and eliminating threats associated with the research such as but not limited to physical harm. The researcher ensured that the relevant measures were executed to provide safety to vulnerable groups. In addition, the researcher ensured that there was respect for the respondent's independence as well as dignity. This was achieved by significantly treating respondents with respect and dignity. This entirely involved, honoring their choices concerning but not limited to their inclusion in the research.
Nonetheless, the researcher also ensured that fairness and equity were upheld during the study. The researcher observed the concept of diversity in recruiting participants and at the same time eliminating the prejudices grounded on aspects including but not limited to race or religion. Besides, the researcher took the necessary steps by considering the potential outcomes of the study for the most vulnerable respondents specifically people living with a disability. Lastly, the researcher guaranteed that ethical oversight, as well as responsibility, is observed throughout the research procedure. The researcher took the primary function of ensuring that the study adheres to the ethical standards designed by Institutional review boards.
V. RESULTS
The analysis focused on demographic examination by exploring aspects such as age, gender, education, job status, and social media platforms used. Based on gender, there 27 were female while 33 participants were men. The youngest participant was aged 21 years while the oldest was 57 years. The average age of the participants was 35.4 years, indicating that most were men. The minimum education level of the participant is a high school graduate and all participants were actively in employment or self-employed.
All the participants had registered an account with at least two social media platforms, although a majority (48), had multiple accounts. Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok were the most common social media platforms. However, most of the participants had registered an account with professional platforms like Linkedin, although most were not active participants on these platforms. Facebook emerged as the most popular for general networking while X was preferred for emerging news and trending online topics.
TA was adopted to explore the concerns of the users regarding privacy. Following the analytical approach proposed, there were five emerging themes on the most pressing privacy issues by users of social media networks; namely the scale and scope of data collection, potential misuse of user data, third-party app portability, behavioral tracking, and potential data breaches.
VI. ANALYSIS DISCUSSION
A. Discussion
To achieve the objective of the study, it was vital to provide substantial feedback on the two research questions that guided this study. The first question focused on understanding the primary concerns of social media about privacy. Social media networks have revolutionized and transformed communication, social networking, and bridging people's relationships. These mediums offer crucial benefits but also introduce noteworthy privacy concerns. The interviews revealed that the concerns delve around the process of data collection, use of information collected, security, control over private data, tracking behavioral patterns, and the association of third-party stakeholders. The interviews provided a comprehensive understanding by highlighting relevant concerns in detail, which will be explored further by applying the TA framework to ensure that each factor is understood well.
Scope and scale of Data Collection
The interviewees showed concerns about the scale and scope of data collection by social media networks. It emerged as one of the most pressing issues among social media users because of the intricacy of remaining private. Social media platforms obtain an enormous volume of information, including aspects like name, age, and residence and intimate details such as internet activities, hobbies, and text messages. The respondents indicated that the platforms can collect Personal Identifiable Information (PII) because account holders it is one of the requirements at the point of registration [10]. Crucial information like personal email addresses, contact numbers, and date of birth. The participants showed concerns because they suspected fraudulent actors could access the data and use it for malicious purposes.
The participants also showed concern for the ability of social media platforms to study behavioral patterns using the data collected. Participants argued that privacy is a crucial aspect of human dignity and should be guaranteed by social media platforms [11]. One participant noted that Facebook can track their interment activities, sites visited visit, content, preferences, and communication patterns. Therefore, it demonstrates that the use of collected data by social media is an issue that could pose privacy risks.
Misuse of Personal Data
The participants showed concerns about the use of information collected and stored in social media databases. Social media platforms can leverage the data collected to understand how to improve the experiences of users and other aspects that improve the quality. Based on the participants' responses, targeted advertising can be a vulnerability to users. Social media platforms can use the data to facilitate Ad Personalization [11]. The algorithms can be trained to analyze user data to enable personalized advertisements, which is an invasive antic. The platforms can be involved in the monetization of user data by selling the analyzed ta to third-party organizations.
The participants of the survey observed that social media platforms used the data beyond advertising purposes. The algorithms can be refined to understand social media consumption patterns to influence their purchase decisions. This is a form of manipulation by feeding users targeted information to influence their attitudes, behaviors, and choices [12]. Third-party organizations can leverage modern advances in AI and analytics to study the behavior of social media users and enable the system to make product recommendations and even product development.
Data Breaches
Data security emerged as a leading theme in during the interviews as recent news of frequent cyberattacks and monumental data breaches led to the exposure of personal information. Most participants noted that the high-profile incidents of data breaches by social media platforms like the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal led to the manipulation of voters' decisions in the US election and the Brexit vote. Millions of personal information data were mined without the users' consent. The exposure of the data led to adverse consequences including identity theft, financial fraud, and online vulnerabilities.
Similarly, users noted that user accounts frequently face security vulnerabilities. The accounts have weak password protocols. Some participants indicated that they have been victims of social media account hacks due to the weak security protocols. However, the participants were encouraged to indicate the password, implying that they used a common password including date of birth, name, and city [10]. Some users understood the two-factor authentication, which is crucial in minimizing hacking. The two-factor authentication protocols lead to problems by adding layers. Making it unpopular among most social media users.
Poor account security reduces the ability of users to control their personal information. However, most social media platforms recognize that there is a need to enhance the security of users' accounts. The security setting is complex and confusing to many ordinary social media users. A significant proportion of participants did not understand the process of setting the advanced security protocols [13]. Most users rely on the default security setting, which encourages sharing of personal information and social media activities. The users are expected to maneuver the complex process to ensure the security of their data. Shifting such an obligation to users with limited knowledge about the technicality of social media account security raises ethical and moral concerns.
Behavioral Tracking
Most users noted that social media platforms can perform behavioral tracking by analyzing social media activities, patterns, and content. Cookies Technologies provide the platforms with a tool to perform continuous tracking across different websites, retaining in-depth profiles of user's behavior [13]. The platforms can conduct behavioral tracking with informed consent: The Cambridge-Analytica incident reveals the vulnerability of social media platforms on individuals and society. The profiles created were used not only for marketing and advertising purposes but also to influence political campaigns.
Participants of the study indicated that the ability of social media platforms to collect data limitlessly can expose users to surveillance vulnerabilities. Collecting private and intimate data, such as personal health information and PII can enable third-party actors to perform surveillance since each aspect of social media interaction is documented. The Power held by social media companies leads to the loss of anonymity over personal information to some extent. The structure of social media communication makes it impossible to maintain anonymity because the data is augmented into a singular platform.
Third-Party Apps Data Portability
Portability and the right to delete information is also a concern among users. This stems from the concept of the "right to be forgotten." Users may opt for some content from their social media platforms. Users have limited control over the spread and distribution of the content they post. Deleting the content does not limit other account owners to post similar information [14]. This is a significant concern highlighted by the participants of the survey. deleting their data or controlling its spread once shared.
The growth of social media has coincided with an era of integration of online systems and solutions. Most social media platforms allow third-party apps and integrations. Third-party applications operate based on their practices, policies, and unique terms and conditions for service. There are more privacy issues when social media networks integrate third-party apps and services. Integration of third-party Apps into the social media application can facilitate the collection of data and potential for misuse [12]. There is a lack of clarity over the party responsible for the security of data. Besides, the more the data is available to employees of both organizations, it can be at risk of breaches.
The second question focused on examining the mediating factors contributing to the social media user’s privacy concerns. Based on the TA, the merging factors included inadequate regulatory protection, ineffective social media platform privacy policies, and ignorance of users on appropriate security settings.
Accessibility and Permission
Accessing the data held may require permission from the user or the social media platform. Some apps may be granted broad permissions that allow them unlimited access to the information. Third-party apps often request access to a wide range of user data, which may not be necessary for their functionality. There is a lack of appropriate oversight over data and usage by third-party organizations and apps. The platforms do not provide sufficient oversight and guidelines on how the third parties use and protect the data they access.
Therefore, there is potential for misuse and manipulation of user data by social media platforms and third parties who access the data. Social media platforms may have strict privacy but third-party organizations may have inconsistent privacy concerns. The Cambridge Analytica scandal is an illustration of such an incident, where Facebook data was accessed with crucial privacy breaches. Social media platforms pose a significant threat because they can lead to trust issues among users. Some of the participants noted that they had deleted their accounts because of fear of privacy breaches [14]. The constant privacy issues influence the attitudes and behaviors on social media and their level of trust in these platforms. Hence, the participants have adopted self-censorship due to the awareness of potential online tracking and data collection. This involves avoiding sharing some details or expressing views freely.
The risk of privacy breaches can minimize the levels of social engagement to conceal one's true personality and character. Privacy concerns can lead to reduced engagement, with users less likely to participate in activities that require personal information sharing. Users have also shown concerns for better data and information security practices by social media platforms. The participants of the survey indicated that transparency over the use of the data collected is necessary to protect their confidentiality [12][13]. The growth in awareness and understanding of the right to privacy has been a significant factor that has influenced the demand for better information security protocols.
Inadequate Regulatory and Policy Concerns
Privacy is a right recognized by the laws of different countries including the United States. There are specific legislations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU block or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), enacted to protect the privacy and confidentiality of users' data. However, it does not provide sufficient protection to users since there are several hurdles in its implementation. The lack of effectiveness and compliance with the law has contributed to the loopholes that are constantly utilized by the platforms to collect personal data [12]. The legislations impose legal and criminal liabilities on social media platforms, which can be a crucial method of deterring platforms from engaging in unauthorized sharing of users' data.
Ineffective Social Media Site Policies
Social media platforms have policies that guide the usage of data collected from account holders. Most of these terms are often complex and it is difficult for the users to comprehend. Users sometimes agree to conditions without fully understanding service and privacy rules since they are lengthy and complex [11]. The participants contented that they had never read through all the policies, terms, and conditions of using the site. These challenges lead to the acceptance of policies that allow the collection and usage of data.
Besides, social media platforms are constantly enhancing policy changes that could affect the security of users' data. Platforms regularly change their terms of service, sometimes making major adjustments to privacy provisions that users might not always see or comprehend [13]. The ignorance of users creates vulnerabilities in users and places social media platforms in a superior position. This enables the platforms to include policies that are pro-data collection.
B. Conclusion
Social media companies need to improve privacy controls, strengthen security, simplify privacy settings, and follow strict regulations to strike a balance between user interaction and privacy. Platforms can provide a safer and more reliable environment and encourage users to interact without jeopardizing their personal information by fully addressing these main concerns. This fine balance, where the advantages of connection and sharing are evaluated against the fundamental right to privacy, will determine the future of social media.
Dealing with a wide range of intricate issues is necessary when navigating the social media privacy tightrope. It makes sense that users are concerned about the scope of data gathering, the uses to which it is put, the security of their data, and their control over it. These issues become even more complicated when third-party apps are involved and behavioral tracking is used. These privacy concerns provide serious legal and policy hurdles in addition to affecting user behavior and confidence.
C. Future Research
Social media platforms need to reconsider the concept of user privacy to protect the confidentiality of user data. It is necessary to communicate clearly about the purpose for which the data collected is to be used. The current system is opaque and the users have limited knowledge about the terms and conditions of service. Organizations must protect the integrity of user data. Failure to comply with the regulatory requirement can lead to substantial financial and reputational damage to a social media platform. Facebook has been heavily fined for data breaches and scandals.
Policymakers and legislator should also understand the risk that social media platforms expose to their users and introduce stricter regulations and guidelines on how these platforms can use data collected. Currently, social media platforms are powerful and can influence users to accept terms that would allow the collection of personal information. The legislation should focus on introducing guidelines that compel the platforms to be transparent and use terms that are easily understandable to all users. The study focused on users that are educated but they were also not familiar with the terms on the use of personal data by the platforms. The government can provide better protection by introducing liabilities on platforms that mislead users to accept opaque terms and conditions with a loophole that will allow the collection of PII. Government involvement will be necessary as information and communication technologies continue to transform how organizations collect, analyze, and utilize online users and activities.






References

(1) Bright, Laura F., Hayoung Sally Lim, and Kelty Logan. "“Should I Post or Ghost?”: Examining how privacy concerns impact social media engagement in US consumers." Psychology & Marketing 38, no. 10 (2021): 1712-1722.
(2) Chen, Hsuan-Ting. "Revisiting the privacy paradox on social media with an extended privacy calculus model: The effect of privacy concerns, privacy self-efficacy, and social capital on privacy management." American behavioral scientist 62, no. 10 (2018): 1392-1412.
[(3) Kehr,]() Flavius, Tobias Kowatsch, Daniel Wentzel, and Elgar Fleisch. "Blissfully ignorant: the effects of general privacy concerns, general institutional trust, and affect in the privacy calculus." Information Systems Journal 25, no. 6 (2015): 607-635.
(4) Van der Vlist, Fernando N., and Anne Helmond. "How partners mediate platform power: Mapping business and data partnerships in the social media ecosystem." Big Data & Society 8, no. 1 (2021): 20539517211025061.
(5) Reynolds, Samantha, and Noah Bennett. "Dynamic Insights: Qualitative Explorations Across Diverse Sectors in the Evolving Socioeconomic Landscape." (2024).
(6) Palinkas, Lawrence A., Sarah M. Horwitz, Carla A. Green, Jennifer P. Wisdom, Naihua Duan, and Kimberly Hoagwood. "Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research." Administration and policy in mental health and mental health services research 42 (2015): 533-544.
(7) Thompson, Jamie. "A guide to abductive thematic analysis." (2022
(8) Peel, Karen L. "A beginner's guide to applied educational research using thematic analysis." Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation 25, no. 1 (2020): 2.
[(9) Enria, ]()Luisa, Naomi Waterlow, Nina Trivedy Rogers, Hannah Brindle, Sham Lal, Rosalind M. Eggo, Shelley Lees, and Chrissy H. Roberts. "Trust and transparency in times of crisis: Results from an online survey during the first wave (April 2020) of the COVID-19 epidemic in the UK." PloS one 16, no. 2 (2021): e0239247.
(10) L. Baker-Eveleth, R. Stone, and D. Eveleth, “Understanding social media users’ privacy-protection behaviors,” ICS, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 324–345, May 2022, doi: 10.1108/ICS-07-2021-0099.
(11) Z. Rózsa, L. Ferenčáková, D. Zámek, and J. Firstová, “Generation Z’s perception of privacy on social media: Examining the impact of personalized advertising, interpersonal relationships, reference group dynamics, social isolation, and anxiety on self-disclosure willingness,” oc, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 229–266, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.24136/oc.2956.
(12) N. Barrett-Maitland and J. Lynch, “Social Media, Ethics and the Privacy Paradox,” in Security and Privacy From a Legal, Ethical, and Technical Perspective, C. Kalloniatis and C. Travieso-Gonzalez, Eds., IntechOpen, 2020. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.90906.
(13) J. Suter, A. Irvine, and C. Howorth, “Juggling on a tightrope: Experiences of small and micro business managers responding to employees with mental health difficulties,” International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 3–34, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1177/02662426221084252.
(14) K. D. Martin and R. W. Palmatier, “Data Privacy in Retail: Navigating Tensions and Directing Future Research,” Journal of Retailing, vol. 96, no. 4, pp. 449–457, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.jretai.2020.10.002.





































Appendix

Figure1: The conceptual model of extended privacy calculus

I still wear the gold necklace you bought me and your flannel that you gave me. That massive first painting you commissioned for our friend, I asked them if i could have it when they were moving and couldn’t take it with them. It hangs in my office and I catch myself staring at it, remembering the night you hand-painted it in your parents’ garage and how covered in paint you were after. I miss everything about you. Your sense of humor, your dance moves, your genuine concern for others, how much you loved your family, how humble you were. I miss the way I’d see myself reflected in your eyes. You loved me unconditionally and wanted to spend the rest of your life with me. I loved you too, but I couldn’t stop seeking validation from external sources, refusing to cut people out of my life that made you uncomfortable. I pushed you away. I broke your heart a few days before your birthday, and weirdly enough I was the one sobbing and a total mess. You were calm. You told me I’d regret this someday. Well, it’s been nearly 2 years and you were right. I rebounded into a relationship 2 months after we broke up and found out that the grass isn’t greener. Now you’re in a new relationship and she seems amazing. I’d do anything to turn back time and do it all differently. I wish i could tell you how sorry I am, but I can’t reach out to you. You seem happy with her and I can’t jeopardize that because I want nothing but happiness for you. For now I’ll be sad and process the regret. Maybe I’ll finally delete our text thread, but i cherish it because it makes me laugh. Our shared secret language and jokes I never want to forget because to me we were the 2 funniest people on earth together. Maybe our paths will cross again someday, maybe not. I can only hope that they do and wish you well.