Abstract:
Globalization has inherently changed the way we communicate. Online privacy becomes a major
concern in internet mediated communication. Independent researches by Weber (1998) and Calhoun
(2002) mention that national and regional cultures have a considerable impact on online privacy
preferences. Hence, to study this online privacy preferential behavior, Hofstede’s Model ‘Six Dimensions
of National Culture’ was used in the thesis. Four dimensions namely power distance; uncertainty
avoidance, individualism, and masculinity were considered in this study. The research aimed to find the
impact of each dimension on online privacy, as well as how the online privacy preference patterns vary
among provinces/regions of Pakistan. The study also intended to investigate which social media platform
has the highest online privacy preference pattern and how gender roles influence online privacy
preference. Online questionnaire consisted of reliable and valid instruments. Data were collected from
two major public universities of each province through non probability sampling method. The descriptive
of the demographics and main study variables were discussed. The data was analyzed using Pearson
Correlation and Linear Regression to examine the association whereas, T-test and ANOVA were used to
compare sample for gender and provincial level online privacy respectively. The results revealed
significantly positive association of uncertainty avoidance / masculinity with online privacy whereas
association between Individualism and online privacy remained significantly negative. Furthermore, the
results showed significantly high for online privacy preference in females than males. The online privacy
preference was also significantly high in Punjab as compared to Baluchistan. The theoretical/ practical
contribution along with limitation and future guidelines of the study discussed.
