Four in 10 People Have Deleted a Social Media Account Due to Privacy Worries

According to CNBC (June 18, 2018), "four in 10 people have deleted a social media account in the past year due to privacy worries, study says.

There is a serious lack of trust in social media such as Facebook and Twitter and consumers expect brands that advertise on such platforms to urgently find solutions, according to research published Monday.

Privacy concerns and the circulation of fake news are contributing to people's distrust of content on social platforms, said the study by public relations consultancy Edelman, with 70 percent of respondents expecting businesses and advertisers to put pressure on social media sites to address false information and remove offensive content."
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Privacy issues on social media are a concern, but one that can be managed with reasonable precautions. Some privacy advocates will recommend that you delete all social media as a way of maintaining your personal privacy, and while that will certainly help, it's probably not necessary for most people. When you use social media, adjust your privacy settings to limit who can see your posts, but assume that everything that you post will at sometime become publicly accessible.

* Simply put, only post those things that you are willing to share with the world. * 

It is also important to be aware of what information you expose when using apps and taking quizzes in your social media accounts. While these quizzes can be entertaining, be aware that they are not free. You pay with your personal information.

The other concern that arises from the Edelman study is the desire of users for social media providers to censor information on their sites. The problem that arises from trying to do this is determining just what constitutes "false information" or "offensive content".