Privacy Paradox Revisited: Unveiling the Role of Conflict Detection

The privacy paradox describes the gap between individuals' privacy attitudes and their actual disclosure behaviors. While some attribute this to rational cost-benefit analysis (privacy calculus), others argue that heuristics and cognitive biases drive privacy decisions. However, research that attributes the paradox to cognitive biases neglects the underlying mechanism behind this misalignment. This study proposes failure in conflict detection—the inability to recognize discrepancies between privacy attitudes and behaviors—as a key factor. Without detecting this conflict, individuals rely on intuitive rather than analytical reasoning, leading to flawed privacy decisions. By addressing this missing cognitive step, the study provides new insights into the mechanisms shaping privacy behavior.