[Paper Review] The More You Know About Digital Tech, the More Anxious You Become — Reinterpreting the 'Privacy Paradox'

Contrary to the assumption that higher digital technology understanding leads to greater safety, research shows anxiety can actually increase — digital literacy does not have a single uniform effect but exerts opposing influences on information privacy concerns depending on device type and user group. Research design: Korean Media Panel Survey (2017-2020) data; 7,064 participants; variables: PC literacy, smart device literacy, information privacy concerns, digital native vs. immigrant classification; comparative analysis between groups and relative effect analysis. Key finding: digital literacy is not a single concept. Two distinct trajectories: (1) PC literacy INCREASES privacy concerns — PC environment deepens understanding of information structure and data flows; simultaneously strengthens recognition of personal information leakage and security risks; users perceive more risks, resulting in elevated anxiety: "the more you know, the more anxious you become" paradox; (2) Smart device literacy DECREASES privacy concerns — smart environment features intuitive UX and automated security systems; users experience convenience-focused rather than complexity-aware interaction; this characteristic lowers risk perception and raises psychological comfort. Generation effects: digital natives (those who grew up with digital technology) showed stronger effects of smart device literacy in reducing privacy concerns compared to digital immigrants (those who adopted digital technology later in life). Design implication: understanding users'' digital background matters for privacy communication strategy; PC-literate users need reassurance about specific security mechanisms; smart-first users benefit from simplified privacy explanations that don''t introduce unfamiliar risk concepts. The broader paradox: increasing digital literacy as a privacy protection strategy may backfire for PC-literate populations — more knowledge creates more awareness of risks that cannot be fully mitigated, potentially reducing online engagement more than uninformed but unconcerned users.