This study provides a conceptual review of the symbolic dimensions of privacy protection behaviours (PPBs) in social media communication, drawing on interactionist frameworks, particularly those of Blumer and Goffman. It also investigates their core characteristics through evidence gathered from semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey. Our findings show that the symbolic framing of explicit PPBs is linked to the emergence of potentially undesirable self-impressions, such as appearing overly preoccupied with privacy. This, in turn, may discourage individuals from adopting such behaviours. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the symbolic barriers to privacy-related behaviours in mediated social contexts.