Manhattanites share the least on Facebook, according to a new New York University study, while Queens residents are the most exposed.
Researchers at NYU’s Polytechnic Institute announced a study today that revealed more New Yorkers than ever are slashing what is publicly seen on their Facebook profiles.
The number of users hiding their friend list increased more than 200 percent during a 15-month period, according to the study, which will be presented next month at a Switzerland social networking conference.
The users most private were in wealthy Manhattan enclaves, the researchers said, and least private were Queens Facebookers.
They studied 1.4 million New York City Facebook profiles in March 2010 and June 2011, checking to see who hid what.
In 2010, 17 percent of users hid their friend list, but 15 months later, that number increased to 53 percent, researchers found.
Facebook users also chose to conceal other tidbits on their profile, like hometown, high school and relationship status.
Women were more private, the researchers found, with 55 percent restricting information in June 2011, compared to 49 percent of men.
Professor Keith Ross, who led the study, said that a Facebook redesign of privacy options might have contributed to the choice to conceal.
