The Cost of Visibility: Facebook Engagement Behaviours, Data Breaches, and Student Influencer Livelihoods in Kenya

University students are becoming active participants in the gig economy. They frequently utilize social media networks such as Facebook to obtain advertising revenue or brand sponsorships, thereby monetizing their accounts to generate additional income for survival on campus. The intensive engagement on these digital platforms exposes them to data breaches that can potentially collapse their online businesses. However, the relationship between online visibility and digital vulnerability remains ambiguous. To address this critical knowledge gap, this study examined the nexus of Facebook engagement behaviors, data breaches, and student influencer livelihoods in Kenya. Specifically, the investigation explored engagement intensity and breach frequency, the predictive power of behavioral risk factors, gender-based disparities in digital reach and risk, student risk-engagement profiles, and the ultimate livelihood impact of security breaches among student influencers. Anchored on Resource Dependence Theory (RDT), the study adopted a mixed-methods design, collecting data from 440 observations across 100 Facebook influencer pages alongside testimonials from five student influencers. Data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Findings revealed that Facebook engagement behaviors directly influence data breaches, averaging 1.57 breaches per week, with individuals in the high-engagement stratum experiencing seven times the breach frequency of their low-engagement counterparts. T-test analysis found no statistically significant gender differences in risk (p = .5313), suggesting that the economic necessity to scale reach overrides demographic disparities in risk-taking. Furthermore, logistic regression identified suspicious link clicks (x₁₀) as the dominant predictor, where each interaction increases breach odds by 11.7 times, explaining 56% of the variance in digital security outcomes (R 2 = .5595). Qualitative evidence suggests association between data breaches and the survival of online businesses, which severely disrupts student livelihoods. The study recommends policies that support Business Account Recovery, digital livelihood insurance, and tiered security for high-reach creators. Theoretically, it suggests extending RDT by incorporating demographic parity.