Parents vs peers’ influence on teenagers’ Internet addiction and risky online activities

An integral part of the daily lives of adolescents revolves around the Internet. Adolescents are vulnerable online because of a combination of their natural innocence, sensation-seeking drive coupled with the current digital media landscape and its manifold affordances for interactivity, immersive virtual environments and social networking. Adolescence is a time of transition in which youths progressively venture from the safety of the home to explore new opportunities. In this phase of life, both parents and peers play a critical role in either instigating or mitigating risky and dangerous activities. This study examines in the context of youth’s online risky activities, whether the compensatory-competition model or the continuity-cognitive model prevails. This study also explores whether the engagement of parental mediation activities mitigates or compounds the situation. A Partial Least Squares Equation analysis of a stratified random survey of 2000 Malaysian school children between 13 and 15-year-old controlling for age and gender, found that peer-attachment competes with parent attachment for the influence of teenagers’ risky online activities and Internet addiction. Parental influence is stronger when parents actively engage in mediating the online activities of their teenagers. On balance, parents can have more influence on teenagers than their peers.     

A vicious circle between children’s non-communicative smartphone use and loneliness: Parents cannot do much about it

Children are increasingly using their own smartphones for communicative and non-communicative purposes. In fact, studies showed that different ways of using the smartphone might influence loneliness, and as a consequence, loneliness might also enhance further engagement with the smartphone. In this context, parents play an important role because they can regulate children’s smartphone use. The present study tested the moderating role of active and restrictive parental mediation on the relations between different types of smartphone use and children’s loneliness. We conducted a two-wave panel survey among 10- to 14-year-old children and their parents, resulting in total of 384 parent–child pairs at Time 2. Our results revealed that non-communicative use at Time 1 increased loneliness at Time 2. We also found a reciprocal influence, that is, loneliness at Time 1 increased children’s non-communicative use at Time 2. We found no moderating influence of active and restrictive parental mediation on the relations between children’s smartphone use and loneliness. Our findings are discussed against the background of the poor-get-poorer effect regarding smartphone use.     

Beyond the privacy paradox: The moderating effect of online privacy concerns on online service use behavior

In the digital information era, dealing with privacy issues is problematic in related research since online activities have become an inevitable trend. Following the privacy paradox, which occurs when online services are increasingly accepted or used despite raising the level of privacy concerns of individuals, there is no need to alleviate individual privacy concerns regarding online services. Accordingly, this study aims to empirically analyze the effect of online privacy concerns, when interacting with individual innovativeness, on individual online service use behavior. For the empirical analysis, a Heckman two-step analysis is performed using South Korean data from the 2019 Korea Media Panel Survey conducted by the Korea Information Society Development Institute. The results provide evidence in contradiction of the privacy paradox. Specifically, the main findings of this study are as follows. First, use of online services and privacy concerns are not a contradictory phenomenon both in principle and behavior but can act as a negative influence or constraint. Second, individuals with high levels of innovativeness actively use online services owing to differences in their acceptance and use of innovation. Third, as online activities become more common, privacy concerns are likely to affect the level of online service use by interacting with other personality traits. As a result, privacy concerns are more likely to act as an influencing variable that moderates the degree or intensity of an individual's use of an online service rather than an independent variable for the use of an online service. The impact of privacy concerns of individuals on the use of online services identified in this study suggests there is a need for an adequate governing mechanism for privacy protection to realize service provision through e-government.     

Bottom‐Up Technology Transmission Within Families: Exploring How Youths Influence Their Parents' Digital Media Use With Dyadic Data

This study investigated the bottom‐up technology transmission process in a country with varied levels of technology diffusion, such as Chile. It explored to what extent children teach their parents how to use digital media and proposed a typology of factors related to this process. By relying on a mixed‐methods design—which combined interviews with an original survey—and dyadic data, it found that the transmission occurs for all the technologies investigated, although children's influence should not be overstated. This process was more likely to occur among women and people from lower socioeconomic status, and it was also associated with less authoritarian parents and more fluid parent–child interactions.     

Risk and opportunity for online purchase intention – A moderated mediation model investigation

What is the risk and opportunity for online purchase intention? This study focused on online purchase intention to explore the relationships on the proposed theoretical model for an electronic commerce environment in Taiwan. This study found electronic word-of-mouth plays a fully mediated role between perceived risk and online purchase intention. Online involvement plays a moderated mediating role in the proposed theoretical model. Perceived risk of online purchase intention through electronic word-of-mouth is stronger at low degrees of online involvement than at higher degrees of online involvement for Taiwan’s online consumers. This study concludes online operators might consider encouraging online consumers to participate in online information with a high degree of involvement. Thus, although perceived risk is a risk for online consumers and is harmful to online purchase intention, online operators should turn risks into opportunities for electronic commerce by effectively using the power of online involvement and e-WOM.     

Relevant and rich interactivity under uncertainty: Guest reviews,host responses,and guest purchase intention on Airbnb

Online commerce, increasingly running on digital platforms, is subject to higher uncertainty and risk in transactions (e.g., fraud, opportunism) than offline commerce. To cope with this challenge, online commerce companies often use information systems to promote interactive communication between sellers and buyers. This study examines how such seller-buyer interactivity affects buyers’ purchase intention in an online commerce context of accommodation sharing. In particular, we use text mining techniques to analyze guest reviews and host responses on Airbnb. Our analysis suggests that not only the quantity but also the quality of the response messages matter: potential guests’ purchase intention increases with the relevance and richness of the host’s responses as well as their volume. Further, we find a notable nonlinearity in the quantity effect that the volume of host responses significantly affects guest purchase intention only when it is large enough. Making sufficient responses, the hosts could enjoy complementarity between the quantity and quality effects of their responses; otherwise, the relative richness of their responses becomes more important.     

Factors influencing intention to donate via social network site (SNS): From Asian’s perspective

This study examined whether external factors, which are charity project, charity organization, Internet technology features and social network site (SNS) features influence people’s general attitude towards online donation and their intention to donate via SNS. An online survey was conducted based on the framework of factors influencing the intention to donate via SNS that was adapted from the literature review. Data from 258 respondents were used for analysis. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research model and hypotheses. The results indicated that the Internet technology features factor significantly contributes in influencing people’s general attitude towards online donation, and general attitude positively influences people’s intention to donate via SNSs. The full mediation effect of the general attitude towards online donation on the relationship between Internet technology features and intention to donate via SNS was found. However, charity project, charity organization, and SNS features were not significant factors in influencing people’s intention to donate via SNSs. The sample was limited to some Asian countries (preliminary Malaysia and South Korea). Thus, the results cannot be generalized to other countries. The findings suggest that non-profit organizations should focus on how to deal with the Internet issues, especially pertaining to security and privacy. Therefore, a mechanism for gaining donors’ trust to use the Internet, particularly in doing online transaction must be considered.     

Elements of information ecosystems stimulating the online consumer behavior: A mediating role of cognitive and affective trust

Information makes consumers aware of what is on the market, their producers, and their prices, which is important for making informed purchasing decisions. Information to influence customer decision-making in online purchasing environments is becoming increasingly focused, but the diverse mechanisms of information ecosystems for building trust are little recognized. Therefore, the current study fills a research gap in consumer behavior by explaining the effect of determinants on purchasing and recommendation behavior from the perspective of information ecosystem elements. This study proposed a theoretical model combining the stimulus-organization-response (S-O-R) model, the effect hierarchy model, and the information ecosystem theory. The 372 valid responses were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Theoretical and empirical evidence support the mediation role of cognitive and affective trust in explaining online physician ratings and consumer behavior. The results revealed that the novel technology and functions should be introduced into the online physician review platform to enhance information quality and perceived similarity between receivers and senders. Practitioners should focus more on developing cognitive and affective trust, which will benefit the rapid growth of online shopping. Based on the outcomes, this study offers some valuable suggestions for policymakers.     

The Impact of Parents “Friending” Their Young Adult Child on Facebook on Perceptions of Parental Privacy Invasions and Parent–Child Relationship Quality

This study examined whether a parent “friending” his/her child on Facebook.com influenced the parent–child relationship and perceptions of parental privacy invasions. One hundred and eighteen parent–young adult child dyads were randomly assigned to an experimental group where the parent was asked to create a Facebook account, “friend” his/her child, and use the account over 2 months or a control group where the parent did not have a Facebook account. Having a parent on Facebook did not result in perceptions of greater privacy invasions, but was associated with decreased conflict in the parent–child relationship. When the parent and child had a more conflicted relationship prior to the parent joining Facebook, the parent's presence on Facebook also enhanced the child's closeness with the parent.     

Can online social networks foster young adults’ civic engagement?

The current study aims to determine whether Wechat can have positive effects on civic engagement and how young adults can be influenced. This study not only examines the direct associations between the Wechat social network and two types of civic engagement but also analyzes information use in Wechat and group incentives as mediators in the path model. A total of 297 young adults responded to an online survey questionnaire. The results showed that the size of online social networks was related to online civic publication, while interactions in networks exerted a positive influence on online and offline civic engagement via information use and group incentives. Furthermore, two types of civic engagement were found to be associated with each other. The possible reasons for these findings are also discussed.     

The effects of social media virality metrics,message framing,and perceived susceptibility on cancer screening intention: The mediating role of fear

Social media platforms are increasingly playing a vital role in the process of dissemination and sharing of health information. The present study investigated whether and how online health information and virality metrics associated with social media platforms jointly shape persuasive outcomes in the context of cancer screening promotion. One important area of research on cancer screening promotion concerns loss-versus-gain message framing, which has highlighted the persuasive advantage of loss framing relative to gain framing. Given this, we examined how social media virality metrics, loss-versus-gain message framing, and perceived susceptibility influence message-evoked fear and intention to perform colonoscopy in the context of colorectal cancer screening. Results from an online experiment showed that loss framing, relative to gain framing, led to greater message-evoked fear when the message was presented with high-virality metrics, and this pattern was particularly pronounced among those with low perceived susceptibility to colorectal cancer. Furthermore, a formal test of moderated mediation showed that the indirect effect of loss framing on colonoscopy intention through message-evoked fear was significantly moderated by perceived susceptibility to colorectal cancer when the message was presented with high-virality metrics. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Digital access,choice and agency in remote Sarawak

Internet use and access to digital devices continues to increase even in remote regions around the world, but users do not participate equally or engage in the same practices online. This leads to inequalities in the outcomes different groups of users can generate as a result of their online practices. Drawing from recent literature on digital divides and using a theoretical framework focused on user choice and agency, we present data from a study of internet and device use in remote villages in Sarawak, a state of Malaysia on the island of Borneo. These villages lack most basic infrastructure such as paved roads or grid electricity, but some have mobile phone and mobile internet access installed under Malaysia’s Universal Service Provision. We discuss qualitative and quantitative data collected between 2015 and 2017 to point to the opportunities as well as obstacles users in remote communities encounter in their engagements with digital devices and the internet. We argue that while remote areas seem to lag behind urban areas in terms of users’ internet skills and practices, people choose to engage with these technologies in ways that are appropriate to their needs and to the local low-bandwidth environment. To enable these communities to tap into additional potential benefits of internet use, however, faster and more reliable access is a prerequisite.     

Parent and Child Media Exposure,Preschooler Dietary Intake,and Preschooler Healthy‐Meal Schemas in the Context of Food Insecurity

Media exposure is correlated with child obesity, yet the family behaviors underlying this link remain poorly understood. Using data from a sample of U.S. parents and their preschoolers, this study assessed parent and child exposure to 5 different media along with child dietary intake. Child healthy‐meal schemas were measured with the Placemat Protocol, a novel play‐based pretend meal assembly activity. Child and parent commercial TV viewing predicted greater obesogenic dietary intake for children in food‐secure but not food‐insecure households. Child commercial TV viewing also predicted a greater proportion of energy‐dense to total foods in children's pretend healthy meals. Discussion focuses on food insecurity as a potential moderator of marketing effects and calls for continued research on child meal schema development.     

Parenting the Internet

Telephone surveys of single and married mothers of teenagers in public schools, mothers of teenagers in religious schools, and mothers of homeschooled teenagers examined the influence that parenting styles and level of Internet access in the home have on parenting mediation of online content and time spent on the Internet ( N = 520). Specifically, how authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting styles as well as home and bedroom Internet access influence the evaluative and restrictive mediation techniques used by parents was investigated. Results indicate that parenting style has a significant effect on almost all mediation techniques studied, whereas increased access only influences time online. Additionally, technological blocking as a restrictive mediation technique was found to be highest among authoritative parents, followed by authoritarian and neglectful.     

Digital healthcare technology adoption by elderly people: A capability approach model

Digital technologies, such as online healthcare portals, enable elderly people to live independently at home for a longer period of time. Independent living, in this context, refers to the freedom elderly people have to live their lives in ways that they find important. Borrowing from the capability approach (CA) framework from Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, the core argument of this paper is that elderly people make decisions on whether to use digital healthcare technologies by considering how these technologies enhance their capabilities to live their lives in ways that are valuable to them. This paper develops a theoretical model of adoption of digital healthcare technologies that support independent living applying the CA framework. We follow a mixed-methods approach with a sequence of qualitative, quantitative, and qualitative methods. We find support for our theoretical model, specifically that the intention to use online healthcare portals depends on whether elderly people expect to enhance their capabilities for living independently by using them. Our study contributes to the information systems literature on adoption of digital healthcare technologies as it is the first that applies the capability approach. For adoption studies on digital technologies in healthcare and beyond, our study poses two major theoretical implications: (1) when considering how outcome expectations affect adoption, scholars should consider how digital technologies allow people to live their lives in ways that are valuable to them, rather than considering how technologies help to execute predefined tasks, jobs, or activities; (2) the availability of digital technologies should be considered as a mediator between outcome expectations and intention to use technologies.     

The online ideal persona vs. the jealousy effect: Two explanations of why selfies are associated with lower-quality romantic relationships

Drawing on social-psychology and communication theories, we advance a theoretical model to explain the negative effects of selfies on romantic relationships. We suggest that this individualistic use of social media is related to selfie related conflicts between partners through two processes: (1) jealousy, stemming from excessive individual photo-sharing or comments about those pictures, and (2) that, by sharing flattering images of oneself, an online ideal persona is created in the picture-taker’s mind that diverges from real-life. These conflicts in turn reduce perceived quality of the romantic relationships. To test the model we conducted a two-wave, representative panel survey, separated by one year. Results support a partial mediation model between taking selfies and lower perception of relationship quality, suggesting that both mediators, jealousy and the online ideal persona, have a negative effect on romantic relationship over time.     

Disclosure of personal data in ecommerce: A cross-national comparison of Estonia and the United States

This study examines how demographic variables affect willingness to disclose and perceived risks of disclosing personally identifying information (PII, also referred to as personal data in Europe) in ecommerce in the United States and Estonia. The study utilized a 17-item list of potential disclosure items (name, email address, etc.), categorized reliably into six sub-indices: contact information, payment information, life history information, financial/medical information, work-related information, and online account information. Online disclosure consciousness (ODC) is introduced as a framework to conceptualize, explain the study’s findings, and empirically measure the gap between one’s willingness to disclose and perceived risk pertaining to the overall 17-item index used in the study, the sub-indices, and particular items. The results show significant gaps among participants both within and across nations. Despite Estonia’s advanced adoption and progressive policies and practices toward the Internet, Americans are more willing to disclose, and less concerned about perceived risks. The findings suggest willingness to disclose and risk aversion can and should be analyzed empirically together. The theoretical model provides an alternative conceptualization to the ideas of the privacy paradox, privacy calculus, and privacy cost-benefit ratios. Implications for theory, consumers, marketing practice, and public policy are discussed. Importantly, the study can inform increased adoption of ecommerce and the digital economy, while also protecting consumer’s personal data.     

Parental Mediation of Children's Television Viewing in Low-Income Families

Studies of parental mediation of children's television viewing have included samples of mostly middle- and upper-class Caucasian parents. These studies have only begun to examine mediation in the context of parent-child relationships. This study of 306 low-income, predominately African American mothers assesses macro- and microlevel influences on viewing mediation using Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of child development. It was hypothesized that factors outside the home (e.g., work hours) influence parents' involvement with children, which, in turn, was predicted to influence viewing mediation. Results supported this model for coviewing and instructive mediation, but not for viewing restrictions.     

The use of mobile technology for online shopping and entertainment among older adults in Finland

Older adults are becoming an important market segment for all internet-based services, but few studies to date have considered older adults as online shoppers and users of entertainment media. Utilising the concept of life course, this article investigates the use of mobile technologies for online shopping and entertainment among consumers aged 55 to 74. The data were collected with a web-based survey completed by a panel of respondents representing Finnish television viewers (N = 322). The results reveal that consumers aged 55 to 74 use a smartphone or tablet to purchase products or services online as often as younger consumers. In contrast, listening to internet radio and watching videos or programmes online with a smartphone or tablet are most typical for younger male consumers. The results demonstrate that mobile-based online shopping is best predicted by age, higher education, and household type (children living at home), and use of entertainment media by age and gender.