Partially open online social networking platforms such as Instagram are posing privacy and security risks. Still, the use of such applications is widespread, and their adoption has surpassed media-information literacy in developing nations, facilitating online privacy threats. In the present study, a quantitative survey of Instagram users is used to examine how anonymity and managed self-disclosure are used as privacy management measures on this imagery-based online social media application, Instagram. As many as 265 student-Instagram users are selected for this study using a convenience sampling technique, and the examination window is February–June 2024. How is Instagram used? What are the perceived privacy-related risks and benefits? How is the sharing of personal information managed? Which of these factors are related to self-disclosure of personal information on Instagram? To answer these pressing questions, and for a deeper exploration of the enigma of privacy paradox, variables such as usage (generic and specific), self-disclosure and perceived benefits and risks of self-disclosure are measured and associated. Further, these variables are associated with demographic variables for a holistic understanding of privacy management. The study results identify the existence of the privacy paradox and use the explanations of risk habituation and optimism bias to support the theory.
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