Emotional responses to privacy invasion on algorithmic social media: insights from in-depth interviews linking agency, emotions, and privacy

While algorithms powered by AI technology add unprecedented utility and hedonic value to social media, they also pose a significant threat to user agency through privacy invasion. The current study investigates emotional responses of social media users when they perceive privacy violations, and analyses the psychological source and behavioral consequences of these emotions. Through in-depth interviews with 32 social media users across two countries (the United States and Singapore), this study identifies primary emotional responses to privacy-invasive experiences on social media, including surprise, fear, creepiness, annoyance, and helplessness. Findings show that two aspects of user agency (i.e., awareness and perceived control) are significant in explaining users’ emotional experiences, and emotions can be linked to specific action tendencies. Users who feel annoyed take direct actions for privacy protection, whereas those who experience fear and helplessness tend to adopt avoidance or other indirect strategies, such as confuse the algorithm or non-action. This study advances our understanding of how social media users experience and negotiate privacy-related power and control by examining their emotional responses to privacy-invasive practices on algorithmic social media platforms. This study also highlights meaningful cross-cultural differences in these responses.