Privacy in the Digital Age

Abstract

With the advancements in data-gathering technology, various privacy-related issues such as a lack of consumer knowledge about data gathering and protection, lack of regulation, and a decrease in trust from consumers toward brands and digital marketing have arisen. Despite an increase in data-related research there remains a methodological gap in the literature with much of the existing research approaching the topic quantitatively. This study aimed at understanding how consumers are affected by invasive digital marketing activities, and how this affects their trust in brands, specifically in the context of South African consumers. Utilising a qualitative research design and inductive reasoning techniques participants were sampled using snowball and purposive sampling techniques. The data was collected using an in-depth interview and analysed through narrative analysis. The findings indicated that all participants had experienced some form of privacy invasion driven by digital marketing and brands in the online space. This in turn had a negative impact on their brand trust and overall view of digital marketing. However, many participants saw the necessity of online information sharing with brands and had various recommendations and thoughts on how trust could be regained. Based on the data, several recommendations can be made; brands should be as transparent as possible regarding their data gathering and processing practices, brands should at least meet, and preferably go beyond privacy regulations and expectations, and consumers should make an effort to educate themselves on digital privacy and how their data is collected, processed, and shared.