An examination of millennial attitudes to personalised online advertising in relation to data privacy

Digital privacy issues are frequently in the media spotlight, with growing consumer concerns about privacy in the wake of major digital privacy breaches such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Apple’s iOS 14.5 update in April 2021 has triggered sweeping changes in the online advertising industry in the name of improving consumers’ control over their data for ad tracking. The research is an exploration of how millennials in Ireland respond to personalised advertising online in relation to their data privacy. The research was conducted through a number of semistructured interviews with millennials living in Ireland, followed by a thematic analysis of the transcripts. The themes explored include behavioural versus trait-based targeting on the internet, personalisation of ads as distinct from mass-targeting, and consumer engagement with privacy controls online. The study reveals that millennials in Ireland have an expectation of being targeted by brands online, with personalisation based on behaviour and traits. For some, the benefit of quickly being able to use a service online outweighs the concerns about accepting privacy and data policies. While privacy conscious consumers take steps to restrict data sharing, for others the sharing of personal data appears to be the cost of online convenience