Many Islands, Many Problems: An Empirical Examination of Online Safety Behaviors in the Caribbean

Little is known about non-Western social media users’ motivations for adopting behaviors that protect them against pervasive threats to their privacy, security, and personal well-being. Drawing on Rogers’ Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), this survey study explores Caribbean people’s (N=551) perceptions of safety threats and the factors contributing to their intention to adopt protective behaviors. Our analysis revealed that prior victimization was associated with increased perceptions of vulnerability and severity of harms, which, in turn, influenced elevated safety protection behaviors. For harassment-related harms in particular, participants’ trust in social media sites increased their intention to adopt protective behaviors. We observe significant country-to-country differences, which we contextualize through interviews with experts throughout the region. Our findings provide a new understanding of users’ mental models, behaviors, and attitudes with respect to online safety. We conclude by discussing theoretical and practical implications and outline opportunities for the design of inclusive and culturally-aware safety tools.