  To date, much research has been conducted on the positive and negative
effects of online social networking (OSN). However, how users perceive others
and themselves being subject to these effects and the consequences of users'
perceptions are understudied. Drawing from the third-person effect theory, this
study examines the self-other perceptual gap for positive and negative effects
of OSN and the consequences of perceptions for negative effects. Findings from
our online survey (N=187) and interviews (N=8) suggested a significant
difference between the perceived positive and negative effects on self and on
others. Furthermore, the link between the third-person perception for usage
risks of OSN and support for taking privacy protection actions was confirmed.
We also found that the self-other discrepant perceptions were not influenced by
age, time spent on OSN, number of OSN friends. However, gender emerged as a key
difference in the third-person effects gap for privacy risks.
