Decoding the privacy paradox: Moderating effects of privacy concerns on awareness of identity disclosure and protective behaviors on social media

As privacy violations and data misuse on social media become more prevalent, understanding the drivers of effective privacy protection is critical. This study addresses the privacy paradox, the contradiction wherein users express high privacy concerns but fail to adopt protective behaviors. It examines how awareness of online identity disclosure influences two key protective actions: controlled use and identity masking, with a specific focus on the moderating role of online privacy concerns. Drawing on a quota-based sample of 1000 Pakistani social media users and employing structural equation modeling, the research finds that while greater awareness generally promotes proactive behaviors; however, this relationship is significantly moderated by privacy concerns. At lower concern levels, awareness strongly predicts protection; however, as concerns intensify, the positive effect of awareness significantly weakens, suggesting disengagement or privacy-fatigue. These insights clarify the conditional role of concerns and highlight the need for tailored privacy education and platform design.