Privacy Paradox and Location Sharing: Why Do Young People Invite Others to Monitor Their Movement and Activities?

Location sharing apps have been employed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, but caused user resistance. Yet, some location sharing apps designed for social interaction are embraced by young adults. The current study aims to explore why young adults invite others to monitor their activities through constantly sharing their location. Regulatory focus theory and communication privacy management theory were incorporated to establish a theoretical framework. A quantitative survey was conducted and 485 valid samples were collected. The results showed that maintaining social relationships outweighed privacy concerns in the use of location sharing apps. Promotion-focused motivations played a significant role in shaping impression management and prevention-focused motivations failed to achieve this. Meanwhile, privacy management rules tend to be less influential. Theoretical discussions were elaborated.