A new survey of Americans by USA Network found that many younger people have serious concerns about social media, privacy and the security of their online personas.
The survey results, which USA released in the run-up to the premiere of their original series Mr. Robot on Wednesday, found that more than half (55%) of young people say they wouldn’t join social media if they could start fresh.
About three quarters (75%) also said they might consider deactivating social media accounts of major digital security hacks continue, with 29% reporting they are somewhat likely, 23% saying they are likely and 23% telling researchers that they are highly likely to shut down their social media accounts if major digital security breaches continue.
The survey found that twice as many young Generation Y consumers store information in physical phones and boxes (32%) than in cloud-based systems (19%).
Widespread concerns about digital security also prompted 86% of 18-to-49-year-olds to agree that the next world-changing terrorist attack is likely to be a digital one, and that cyber warfare is a bigger threat in America today (53%) than physical warfare (47%).
The survey “Nation Under a Hack” was conducted using a nationally represented online survey among 1,000 18 to 49 year olds in May of 2015. It was followed up with focus groups in four markets.
