CCE Faculty Articles

Examining users' personal information sharing awareness, habits, and practices in social networking sites and e-learning systems

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management

ISSN

2325-4688

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Abstract

Reports of identity theft continue to be widely reported, while users continue to share an increasing amount of personal information online, especially within social networking sites (SNS) and e-learning systems (ELS). Research has suggested that many users lack awareness of the threats that risky online personal information sharing poses. However, even among users who claim to be aware of security threats, actual awareness is still lacking. Research indicates that users’ habits influence their practices. However, the relationship between habit and practices is not always clear. Habit theory has been validated across many disciplines, with very limited attention in Information Systems. Thus, the main goal of this study was to assess the influence of users’ personal information sharing awareness (PISA) on their habits (PISH) and practices (PISP), while comparing the three constructs between SNS and ELS. Empirical survey instrument was developed based on prior literature. A total of 390 responses were received, and path analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. All three constructs demonstrated high reliability. Users’ habits were determined to have the strongest influence on their practices. Information gained from this study may help organizations in the development of better approaches to the securing users’ personal information.

Volume

3

Issue

1

First Page

180

Last Page

207

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