Two studies are presented that investigate information seeking behaviour on the Internet. In study one, soccer fans’ information seeking on the World Wide Web is investigated. In…
Abstract
Two studies are presented that investigate information seeking behaviour on the Internet. In study one, soccer fans’ information seeking on the World Wide Web is investigated. In study two, access rates to a cancer information Web site are analysed. It is tentatively argued that there is a tendency for people to access information more commonly avoided in “real life”, although in the case of football fans, the tendency to “bask in reflected glory” remains when online, while cutting off reflected failure is minimised. Implications for understanding and researching psychological processes of Web browsing behaviour are discussed.
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Adam N. Joinson and Phil Banyard
It has been argued that people may be more willing to seek potentially threatening information on the Internet than they would in “real life”. For alcohol drinkers, potentially…
Abstract
It has been argued that people may be more willing to seek potentially threatening information on the Internet than they would in “real life”. For alcohol drinkers, potentially threatening information includes diagnostic information on the amount they drink, and information about the negative effects of alcohol consumption. In the present study, participants with varying levels of alcohol intake and plans for change chose four alcohol‐related articles to read (from 12), using either the World Wide Web (WWW) or pen and paper. Results showed that drinkers not currently reducing their drinking were more likely to seek diagnostic, potentially threatening anti‐drinking information via the WWW compared with when seeking paper‐based information. Drinkers either contemplating or engaging in efforts to reduce their drinking sought pro‐drinking information on the WWW and anti‐drinking information when using pen and paper. The potential role of the Internet, and perceived anonymity, in health promotion are discussed.
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Ben Marder, Avi Shankar, David Houghton and Adam Joinson
It is known that to encourage people to interact (e.g. sharing) with brands through social media, businesses create content in line with the expectations of their target audience…
Abstract
Purpose
It is known that to encourage people to interact (e.g. sharing) with brands through social media, businesses create content in line with the expectations of their target audience. On these sites, however, such interaction by consumers is visible, contributing to their self-presentation, which can be seen by their wider network; some of whom will find it appropriate, others may not. Currently, little is known about the effects of consumers’ own diverse set of audiences on behavioral intention toward brand interaction and emotional effect. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey methodology (n=386) was adopted to examine intention to interact with real brand posts.
Findings
Results show that the brand interaction is associated with social anxiety when it is felt that visible evidence of such actions is discrepant from the audience expectations. This, then, constrains the behavioral intention to interact with brands online.
Practical implications
For businesses to maximize brand interactions and minimize social anxiety, they must be mindful of not just the expectations of their target but also consider their target’s own network. For site designers, this research urges for greater refining of privacy tools and suggests the addition of a “Secret Like” option.
Originality/value
Encouraging visible brand interaction through social media is paramount for businesses. Managers focus only on their target audience when designing content but neglect to consider the self-presentational implications of interacting with branded content to wider networks. This paper shows that this must be considered to increase success and maintain ethical practice. This is of value for multiple-stakeholders, managers, users, site designers and academics.
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Peter Williams, David Nicholas and Ian Rowlands
The purpose of this paper is to summarise and evaluate the literature on digital consumer behaviour and attitudes towards digital piracy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to summarise and evaluate the literature on digital consumer behaviour and attitudes towards digital piracy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a review and synthesis of the academic literature on the subject, using the authors' unique “pro‐forma” approach to the evaluation of individual papers.
Findings
A major limitation in the studies reported became apparent. They are almost exclusively concerned with the behaviours and attitudes of young people. There is a dearth of studies looking at demographic differences, and also a lack of longitudinal work. Given these constraints, the literature strongly suggests that social and situational factors impact on the likelihood of illegally obtaining digital content more than ethical considerations. Anonymity is a strong indicator, “de‐individualising” people and releasing them from traditional societal constraints and making the digital world far different from the physical one. The literature is ambiguous on whether punishment acts as a deterrent.
Practical implications
The main point that comes out of these studies is that the digital world is not the same as the physical world. It is changing basic assumptions about the idea of ownership, sharing, and copying content. Laws prohibiting all unauthorised downloading potentially criminalise millions of people, so new and creative business models are needed to resolve the problem.
Originality/value
The authors believe this to be the first systematic review of current literature in this area since the issue became topical with the Pirate Bay trial and the Government's Digital Britain report.
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Aila Khan, John Stanton and Syed Rahman
This study examines employees of Australian firms engaged in sports sponsorship activity. Where theemployee is aware of that sponsorship, we consider the ways in which the general…
Abstract
This study examines employees of Australian firms engaged in sports sponsorship activity. Where the employee is aware of that sponsorship, we consider the ways in which the general beliefs and attitudes of employees towards sponsorship link to their specific attitudes towards the sponsorship activity of their employer and whether these attitudes may influence their behaviour within the organisation. A model linking employees' attitudes towards their employers' sponsorship activity, the creation of favourable attitudes towards working for that employer and behaviours that can benefit the employing organisation is tested and supported. Implications of results include: a stronger focus on using sports sponsorship for internal marketing purposes; involvement of employees in determining the sponsored activity or organisation; and reassessing the overall benefits that derive from sports sponsorship.
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Sylvia van de Bunt‐Kokhuis and David Weir
The purpose of this paper is to highlight how future teaching in business schools will probably take place in an online (here called 24/7) classroom, where culturally diverse…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight how future teaching in business schools will probably take place in an online (here called 24/7) classroom, where culturally diverse e‐learners around the globe meet. Technologies such as iPhone, iPad and a variety of social media, to mention but a few, give management learners of any age easy 24/7 access to information. Depending on the quality of the materials and the competences and cross‐cultural sensibilities of the teachers and trainers, this information may support the progress of e‐learning in business schools. At the same time, easy online access to knowledge and educational structures is not, in practice, equally available yet across cultures, and this will be documented with comparative cases from the Arab world and African learning communities.
Design/methodology/approach
This article contributes to multicultural education by identifying various barriers in the online management classroom. It combines theories from educational and cross‐cultural leadership studies, as well as e‐learning studies.
Findings
The outcomes of this analysis show how technical, language and cross‐cultural barriers still hinder particular adult learners to benefit from the “24/7 business school”. It is concluded that by understanding and serving a wide range of culturally diverse e‐learners in business schools, the stewardship role of the business school teacher is key.
Originality/value
The interplay between technical, language and cultural barriers in the online business school is rarely reflected upon. It is the intention of the authors to trigger a broad discussion process by focusing on culturally diverse management learners and by connecting with innovative educational insights across histories and cultures.
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The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to aid in understanding and evaluating love online. The framework maps the territory of online love by identifying…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to aid in understanding and evaluating love online. The framework maps the territory of online love by identifying important issues and providing a mechanism for combining relevant theoretical perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
Interdisciplinary literature is reviewed and related through normative and descriptive conceptual analysis.
Findings
A diverse and complex set of practices, technologies, intentions, and behaviors comprise love online. Theoretical works on love and mediation can be combined to improve conceptual clarity.
Practical implications
The framework provides a simple but powerful tool for making sense of and critiquing the existing literature as well as outlining avenues for future research.
Originality/value
The framework puts diverse strands of scholarly work into an interdisciplinary discussion about an important phenomenon in new media societies.
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The thirtieth anniversary of the first e‐mail was celebrated recently, but no one knows the exact date or what the original message was. This lack of certainty is typical of…
Abstract
The thirtieth anniversary of the first e‐mail was celebrated recently, but no one knows the exact date or what the original message was. This lack of certainty is typical of research on e‐mail – there is now a substantial body of knowledge, but little attempt has been made to co‐ordinate it. This article looks at the origins and features of e‐mail and brings together findings on such issues as information overload, aggression and unsolicited commercial e‐mail (“spam”). Information storage and retrieval issues are covered, as are the results of user‐impact studies. The article identifies scope for further research on human‐computer interaction.
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This paper aims to provide insights into the moral values embodied by a popular social networking site (SNS), Facebook.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide insights into the moral values embodied by a popular social networking site (SNS), Facebook.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based upon qualitative fieldwork, involving participant observation, conducted over a two‐year period. The authors adopt the position that technology as well as humans has a moral character in order to disclose ethical concerns that are not transparent to users of the site.
Findings
Much research on the ethics of information systems has focused on the way that people deploy particular technologies, and the consequences arising, with a view to making policy recommendations and ethical interventions. By focusing on technology as a moral actor with reach across and beyond the internet, the authors reveal the complex and diffuse nature of ethical responsibility and the consequent implications for governance of SNS.
Research limitations/implications
The authors situate their research in a body of work known as disclosive ethics, and argue for an ongoing process of evaluating SNS to reveal their moral importance. Along with that of other authors in the genre, this work is largely descriptive, but the paper engages with prior research by Brey and Introna to highlight the scope for theory development.
Practical implications
Governance measures that require the developers of social networking sites to revise their designs fail to address the diffuse nature of ethical responsibility in this case. Such technologies need to be opened up to scrutiny on a regular basis to increase public awareness of the issues and thereby disclose concerns to a wider audience. The authors suggest that there is value in studying the development and use of these technologies in their infancy, or if established, in the experiences of novice users. Furthermore, flash points in technological trajectories can prove useful sites of investigation.
Originality/value
Existing research on social networking sites either fails to address ethical concerns head on or adopts a tool view of the technologies so that the focus is on the ethical behaviour of users. The authors focus upon the agency, and hence the moral character, of technology to show both the possibilities for, and limitations of, ethical interventions in such cases.