The Mechanisms of Interpersonal Privacy in Social Networking Websites: A Study of Subconscious Processes, Social Network Analysis, and Fear of Social Exclusion

With increasing usage of Social networking sites like Facebook there is a need to study privacy. Previous research has placed more emphasis on outcome-oriented contexts, such as e-commerce sites. In process-oriented contexts, like Facebook, privacy has become a source of conflict for users. The majority of architectural privacy (e.g. privacy policies, website mechanisms) enables the relationship between a user and business, focusing on the institutional privacy concern and trust; however, architectural privacy mechanisms that enables relationships between and among users is lacking. This leaves users the responsibility to manage privacy for their interpersonal relationships. This research focuses on the following question: How does privacy influence the sharing of personal information in interpersonal relationships on Social networking sites? The management of the sharing of personal information is explained using the Need to Belong theory, psychological contract, and approach-avoidance motivation theory. Individuals\u27 desire to interact Socially and engage in relationships where respect for personal information is implied leads to overcoming concerns over privacy. Three essays address the question of interest. Essay 1 explains that this drive is motivated by a fear of Social exclusion from Social transactions and interpersonal relationships and does not rely on the institutional relationship between a user and the Social media website. Essay 2 uses a Social network analysis lens to describe how the multiplexity of relationships and Social influences (both of the network and the self) influence Social interaction and the sharing of personal information. Essay 3 focuses on explaining how individuals\u27 disposition toward subconscious processes of approach or avoidance motivation influence decisions to share and not share personal information. The implication of these studies is that privacy in a process-oriented context--like Facebook--involves different attitudes and beliefs centered on interpersonal relationships rather than institutional ones

The Modern Context of Digital Piracy

Digital piracy has adapted to utilize new aspects of the internet. What used to be the act of downloading copyrighted content has grown to encompass many other behaviors – unlicensed streaming, cyber lockers, image galleries, and password sharing among others. These actions may not seem to fit under the umbrella term of digital piracy to the individuals evaluating them as options, but the outcomes are the same to copyright holders (Spangler 2022). Modern realities of digital piracy demand a look at digital piracy not just as a planned behavior with discrete outcomes but as a process. From the first evaluation (moral or otherwise) of digital piracy to the reinforcement and experience from past behavior affecting future behavior. While the methods for digital piracy have evolved, the research on digital piracy has lagged. The feedback cycle used for goal-oriented behavior (Carver and Scheier 1998) is a good fit for digital piracy as it is an evaluation that is updated and responds to changes in the environment and changes in goals motivating the behaviors. Understanding the different contexts of each method of digital piracy will provide a deeper understanding of the justifications at the individual level, but also the impacts of social norms, perceived difficulty, and other behavioral predictors. We propose a study that involves multiple scenarios in a survey where the output is intention to pirate. As goal importance and context changes in the scenarios, the subjects will process another feedback cycle and the output is changed. With this study we will be able to better understand the factors that can corrupt the moral judgements of individuals as they go from not pirating media to deciding to pirate a specific media. Viewing digital piracy as a behavioral process also answers the calls for researchers to explore the reinforcement aspect of the behavior – how past behavior informs the perceptions and framing of future behaviors and habits (Eisend 2019). Explore how knowledge of these methods is spread online and the creation of more effective interventions to curb the behavior

Psychological Contract Violations on Information Disclosure: A Study of Institutional Arrangements in Social Media Platforms

Previous research investigating information disclosure with online merchants has extended social contract theory using psychological contracts to explain the nature of the relationship between the consumer and merchant. This research extends the role of psychological contracts to social media platforms (SMP) by investigating how institutional psychological contract violations (PCV) influence trust in the SMP through institutional arrangements. Using a sample from MTurk, we presented two hypothetical scenarios manipulating the degree of PCV. Our findings suggest institutional PCVs act differently on institutional arrangements. Institutional PCVs impact attitudes toward institutional arrangements and trust in the SMP

Inclusion of Gamification Elements in the Context of Virtual Lab Environments to Increase Educational Value

Previous research on gamification and virtual laboratories has suggested that both produce successful educational outcomes, but few studies have looked at both gamification and virtual labs in tandem. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we investigate gamification in the virtual labs’ context to examine whether learners’ educational performance is enhanced. In particular, we employ leaderboards as a motivational gamification mechanism for more engagement and participation that can result in higher learning outcomes. Using a student sample, our results show that using gamification within a virtual lab environment results in higher student performance; specifically, it helps them complete more-complex tasks and increases their self-efficacy. Our findings show promising evidence that gamification in virtual lab learning environments positively influences learning

Best of Both Worlds: The Inclusion of Gamification in Virtual Lab Environments to Increase Educational Value

Previous research investigating gamification and virtual laboratories has suggested that both are successful in educational outcomes, but few have looked at both gamification and virtual labs in tandem. This research explores the idea of investigating both contexts within one unified platform. We examine whether using gamification within virtual labs is effective in enhancing learners’ educational performance. Particularly, we employ leaderboards as a motivational gamification mechanism for more engagement and participation that can result in higher learning outcomes. Using a sample of students, our results show that utilization of gamification within a virtual lab environment causes students to exhibit higher performance in terms of more task accomplishments (specifically more complex tasks) and higher self-efficacy. The current findings show promising evidence on the positive influence of gamification within virtual lab learning environments

Psychological Contract Violation and Sharing Intention on Facebook

While there is a psychological component to every written contract, it is particularly the case for exchanges on social network site (SNS), where users tend to ignore the user agreement. As a form of social exchange, content sharing on SNS is guided by psychological contract, i.e., implicit and assumed reciprocal obligations. This study investigates how psychological contract violations (PCVs) affect people’s sharing intentions on Facebook. Based on a survey of 347 Facebook users, we find that sharing intention is negatively influenced by interpersonal and institutional PCVs through SNS users’ information privacy concern and trust. Interestingly, PCV by another user positively influences the affected user’s perceived violation by the SNS, suggesting a collateral damage of interpersonal PCV towards SNS. This paper adds to the privacy literature on SNS by revealing the fundamental role of PCV that alters users’ trust and information privacy concern in online social exchange

Mammals of Cedar Breaks National Monument

This document is the result of a study of the terrestrial mammals found at Cedar Breaks National Monument from 2017-2019. During this time, we conducted a survey of mammals using a series of trail cameras. We used survey results to provide an index of terrestrial mammals (excluding bats) within the park. Our goal is to provide a beginner’s guide to the mammals at Cedar Breaks National Monument. We include information regarding appearance, diet, habitat, and population status according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The guide represents the species a visitor to Cedar Breaks National Monument will most likely encounter during a visit. In addition to the traditional photographs, we provide many photos collected during our study. In some cases, these photos may be of lesser quality, but they provide a realistic example of what these species look like at the park, and while they are on-the-move

Taking “Fun and Games” Seriously: Proposing the Hedonic-Motivation System Adoption Model (HMSAM)

Hedonic-motivation systems (HMS)—systems used primarily to fulfill users’ intrinsic motivations—are the elephant in the room for IS research. Growth in HMS sales has outperformed utilitarian-motivation systems (UMS) sales for more than a decade, generating billions in revenue annually; yet IS research focuses mostly on UMS. In this study, we explain the role of intrinsic motivations in systems use and propose the hedonic-motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) to improve the understanding of HMS adoption. Instead of a minor, general TAM extension, HMSAM is an HMS-specific system acceptance model based on an alternative theoretical perspective, which is in turn grounded in flow-based cognitive absorption (CA). The HMSAM extends van der Heijden’s (2004) model of hedonic system adoption by including CA as a key mediator of perceived ease of use (PEOU) and of behavioral intentions to use (BIU) hedonic-motivation systems. Results from experiments involving 665 participants confirm that, in a hedonic context, CA is a more powerful and appropriate predictor of BIU than PEOU or joy, and that the effect of PEOU on BIU is fully mediated by CA sub-constructs. This study lays a foundation, provides guidance, and opens up avenues for future HMS, UMS, and mixed-motivation system research

Increased Trauma Activation Is Not Equally Beneficial For All Elderly Trauma Patients

Background Physiologic changes in the elderly lead to higher morbidity and mortality after injury. Increasing level of trauma activation has been proposed to improve geriatric outcomes; but, the increased cost to the patient and stress to the hospital system are significant downsides. The purpose of this study was to identify the age at which an increase in activation status is beneficial. Methods A retrospective review of trauma patients ≥ 70 years old from October 1, 2011, to October 1, 2016 was performed. On October 1, 2013, a policy change increased the activation criteria to the highest level for patients ≥ 70 years of age with a significant mechanism of injury. Patients who presented prior to (PRE) were compared to those after the change (POST). Data collected included age, injury severity score (ISS), length of stay (LOS), complications and mortality. Primary outcome was mortality and secondary outcome was LOS. Multivariable regressions controlled for age, ISS, injury mechanism, and number of complications. Results 4341 patients met inclusion criteria, 1919 in PRE and 2422 in POST. Mean age was 80.4 and 81 years in PRE and POST groups respectively (p=0.0155). Mean ISS values were 11.6 and 12.4 (p<0.0001) for the PRE and POST groups. POST had more level 1 activations (696 vs. 220, p<0.0001). After controlling for age, ISS, mechanism of injury, and number of complications, mortality was significantly reduced in the POST group ≥ age 77 years (OR 0.53, 95% CI: 0.3 - 0.87), (Figure 1). Hospital LOS was significantly reduced in the POST group ≥ age 78 (regression coefficient -0.55, 95% CI: -1.09, -0.01) (Figure 2). Conclusions This study suggests geriatric trauma patients ≥ 77 years benefit from the highest level of trauma activation with shorter LOS and lower mortality. A focused approach to increasing activation level for elderly patients may decrease patient cost. Level of Evidence Level III Type of Study Economic/Decisio

Proposing the Interactivity-Stimulus-Attention Model (ISAM) to Explain and Predict the Enjoyment, Immersion, and Adoption of Purely Hedonic Systems

Traditional TAM research primarily focuses on utilitarian systems where extrinsic motivations chiefly explain and predict acceptance. We propose a theoretical model, ISAM, which explains the role of intrinsic motivations in building the user attention that leads to hedonic system acceptance. ISAM combines several theories with TAM to explain how interactivity acts as a stimulus in hedonic contexts—fostering curiosity, enjoyment, and the full immersion of cognitive resources. Two experiments involving over 700 participants validated ISAM as a useful model for explaining and predicting hedonic system acceptance. Immersion and PE are shown to be the primary predictors of behavioral intention to use hedonic systems. Unlike traditional utilitarian adoption research, PEOU does not directly impact BIU, and extrinsic motivations are virtually non-existent. The implications of this study extend beyond hedonic contexts, as users of utilitarian systems continue to demand more hedonic features and enjoyment is often more important than PEOU