Influential Factors of Data Protection on Users’ Trust in Social Media: A Situational Analysis

Objective
Using the Internet and its developing facilities has become intertwined with people's lives so that many things are done only through this space. Data storage on different servers is another aspect of using the Internet and social media, which requires building trust between internet users and implementing data protection policies. This paper investigates the influential factors in data protection regarding social media's trustworthiness for users.
Research Methodology
The participants consisted of 27 cyberspace and social media experts, who were selected through judgmental and snowball sampling. The method of data analysis is Grounded Theory with Clark's situational analysis approach. In this method, all data is obtained from coding interviews with media industry professionals.
Findings
The components of data protection in social media and human/non-human factors of data protection affecting the trust of social media users were identified. As a result of code analysis, social media will be able to take this path with the support of the technical and hardware components. Poor quality and usability, access of the information and security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran to users' data, unequal marketing of Iranian social media platforms in comparison with international peers, and monopolization of Iranian social media through extensive governmental filtering of some international social media platforms are some of the crucial factors that have led society to distrust social media. This study has identified the factors affecting data protection on the trust of social media users with the grounded theory approach, which is innovative in terms of method.
Undoubtedly, studying different aspects of social media extension has been got vital. One of these aspects which recently has been highlighted in social studies is user personal data protection. Social media platforms request their users to create a profile at first and this would result in sharing personal information. Users give data usage permission to social media companies voluntarily to communicate with others worldwide. Although social media expansion has developed social communications, it can put users in danger. Considering the previous studies, no research was found about recognizing the effective elements of users’ trust, and problems regarding user rights protection. Furthermore, identifying the elements is useful for creating a new social media or understanding the cause of the prevalence of a particular social platform among users in comparison with others. In this research, we are evaluating the data protection policies in social media to gain an in-depth understanding of the reasons behind trusting social networks. The research results can contribute to the research literature in the field of trust in social networks.
According to studies, there are several key suggestions for active players in the field of social media. First, the social media managers are recommended to pay special attention to enhancing the quality and performance of these networks, regularly developing and updating the server’s security, and providing proper support for a significant amount of registration. Second, several interviews have pointed out the creativity in national social networks’ terms of service along with equal marketing opportunities and preventing monopolization. Social media managers are recommended to focus their efforts on creativity, updating their knowledge, and creating equal marketing opportunities. Finally, some of the participants stated that the clarity of the amount of access of social networks to users’ data and building mental trust regarding the data protection in these networks are among the other important factors that social media managers must consider.
Conclusion
In this research, some other factors related to the components of protection of social media users also human and non-human factors that affect social media users' trust were identified using grounded theory and Clarke's approach. If social media management takes steps to develop secure servers, it can create operational assurance for users to ensure the protection of servers. The ease of use and desirable quality of social media can automatically increase the trust and acceptance of users towards that media.
The key factors decreasing the trust in Iranian social media can be blamed on the lack of desirable quality, user-unfriendliness, and access of Iranian government security agency to users ' data and unfair marketing of Iranian social media with extensive filtering of some foreign social media. Creating trust for users in a society is a long-term process and requires practical persuasion with diverse methods. One of the consequences of selling user data for advertising is the lack of faithful representation of information by the user that it can disrupt the full and accurate protection of data and support and counter criminal action. The universality of social media and global trust is the other component of data protection. that is, on the one hand, when social media is global or pervasive in society, and the trusted people of the community and the celebrities are social media members, the possibility of data protection is reinforced increase in their minds and make it possible to select that social media. On the other hand, creating a framework by the user to limit access to personal data, the relationship between user trust and the amount of data value, and the type of social media usage of data and authorization to use user’s data affect their trust. Whatever the extent to which the number of users in social media is greater; causes more value, then acceptance by other people will be easier. Whether which social media belongs to which country as owned, and where it is managed, is an indication of who has access to users' data or at least has easier access. For this reason, users have less willingness to use some social networks that increase their concern over stakeholders about accessing their data.