Please advise: using the Internet for health and financial advice

The Internet is a popular source of information and advice especially within the fields of health and finance. Previous research has raised the issue of quality with respect to online information and has suggested differences between the way consumers and experts search for and appraise online information. However, many studies have asked students to act as ‘consumers’ or have relied upon artificial search tasks. This paper reports on research using ‘genuine’ consumers. The first study examines the trust markers held by genuine consumers in both the health and finance domains. The second study explores the perceptions of people who have actually used sources of online advice. The results indicate similarities between the trust markers of genuine consumers and experts. Trust markers differed between the two domains of health and finance and this was revealed in terms of the features of the sites visited. Genuine consumers may have different requirements and may be under different pressures compared to expert evaluators.     

Institution-based trust in interorganizational exchange relationships: the role of online B2B marketplaces on trust formation

Given the uncertainty of online transactions, the digital economy encourages the creation of institutional structures that assure online interorganizational exchange relationships. This research examines how institution-based trust develops in online B2B marketplaces to facilitate interorganizational trust (buyers' trust in sellers). Building upon the notion of institutional trust [Zucker,1986], this study proposes how specific institution-based structures help engender interorganizational trust and indirectly influence transaction success in B2B marketplaces. Five specific institution-based mechanisms are proposed—perceived monitoring, perceived legal bonds, perceived accreditation, perceived feedback, and perceived cooperative norms. To assess the influence of the proposed two dimensions of interorganizational trust—credibility and benevolence—in buyer–seller relationships, three trust outcomes are examined—satisfaction, perceived risk, and continuity. The proposed model is tested on data from 102 organizational buyers in an online B2B marketplace. The results support the proposed model, delineating the relationship between institution-based trust and interorganizational trust. The study provides evidence on how specific institutional mechanisms build trust in online B2B marketplaces, stressing the ability of institution-based trust to build a trustworthy trading environment in the digital economy. The paper discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of this study and proposes several suggestions for future research.     

A simulation testbed for analyzing trust and reputation mechanisms in unreliable online markets

Modern online markets are becoming extremely dynamic, indirectly dictating the need for (semi-) autonomous approaches for constant monitoring and immediate action in order to satisfy one’s needs/preferences. In such open and versatile environments, software agents may be considered as a suitable metaphor for dealing with the increasing complexity of the problem. Additionally, trust and reputation have been recognized as key issues in online markets and many researchers have, in different perspectives, surveyed the related notions, mechanisms and models. Within the context of this work we present an adaptable, multivariate agent testbed for the simulation of open online markets and the study of various factors affecting the quality of the service consumed. This testbed, which we call Euphemus, is highly parameterized and can be easily customized to suit a particular application domain. It allows for building various market scenarios and analyzing interesting properties of e-commerce environments from a trust perspective. The architecture of Euphemus is presented and a number of well-known trust and reputation models are built with Euphemus, in order to show how the testbed can be used to apply and adapt models. Extensive experimentation has been performed in order to show how models behave in unreliable online markets, results are discussed and interesting conclusions are drawn.     

Social interaction in online support groups: Preference for online social interaction over offline social interaction

The purpose of the current study was to identify potential factors leading to preference for social interaction in online support groups (OSGs) over offline interaction. By identifying such factors, the current study advances understanding of the way patients use the Internet as a supportive resource and integrate support from offline and online relationships. An online survey was conducted with current users of health-related OSGs (N = 158). Findings show that those who were dissatisfied with the support they received from their current offline contacts were more likely to prefer social interaction in OSGs. Such a preference was prominent among those who built deeper social relationships in OSGs. Results suggest that some people develop a preference for social interaction in OSGs over offline interaction and use computer-mediated relationships as a possible alternative to offline support networks. Healthcare professionals and users as well as designers of OSGs must acknowledge the limits of online support and caution against the possibility of developing excessive reliance on online support resources.     

The politics of piracy: political ideology and the usage of pirated online media

Information Technology and Management - There is a lack of clarity in information systems research on which factors lead people to use or not use technologies of varying degrees of perceived...     

How and why trust matters in post-adoptive usage: The mediating roles of internal and external self-efficacy

Since the underutilization of technology often prevents organizations from reaping expected benefits from IT investments, an increasing body of literature studies how to elicit value-added, post-adoptive IT use behaviors. Such behaviors include extended and innovative feature use, both of which are exploratory in nature and can lead to improved work performance. Since these exploratory behaviors can be risky, research has directed attention to trust in technology as an antecedent to post-adoptive IT use. In parallel, research has examined how computer self-efficacy relates to post-adoptive IT use. While such research has found that both trust and efficacy can lead to value-added IT use and that they might do so interdependently, scant research has examined the interplay between these antecedents to post-adoptive IT use. Drawing on the Model of Proactive Work Behavior with a focus on its predictions about trust and efficacy, we develop a research model that integrates trust in technology and computer self-efficacy in the post-adoption context. Our model suggests that the two concepts are interdependent such that trust-related impacts on post-adoptive use behaviors unfold via computer-related self-efficacy beliefs. Contemporary tests of mediation on data from more than 350 respondents provided support for our model. Hence, our findings begin to open the black box by which trust-related impacts on post-adoptive behaviors unfold, revealing computer self-efficacy as an important mediating factor. In doing so, this study furthers understanding of how, and why, trust matters in post-adoptive usage, enabling strategic change management by elucidating the “fit” between technological characteristics and post-adoptive usage.     

An empirical study on consumer first purchase intention in online shopping: integrating initial trust and TAM

To understand the first purchase mechanism in online shopping, this study established an integrated model of initial trust and TAM. According to the analysis results, initial trust beliefs were significantly influenced by initial trust bases such as company reputation, structural assurance, and trusting stance, and initial trust beliefs indirectly influenced the first purchase intention through consumer attitude. In TAM constructs, only perceived usefulness directly influenced the usage attitude of online shopping systems, then indirectly influenced the first purchase intention. These results imply that online consumers consider perceived ease of use as a basic requirement for system design. It was also found that there is a time cushion between the time of first purchase and the time of belief formation. On the whole, these results reinforced the theory that a relationship between belief (trust and perceived usefulness) and intention was better explained when it was mediated by attitude.     

Engagement in online health communities: Channel expansion and social exchanges

This paper contributes to the discussion on patient engagement in online health communities (OHCs) by integrating channel expansion and social exchange theories. Using survey data from 348 users of OHC, we examine the impacts of perceived channel richness, social support, and willingness to exchange information on OHC engagement. Results show that the perceived channel richness positively influences OHC engagement. The effect of patients’ willingness to share and seek information on engagement is moderated by health status. Finally, engagement in OHCs enhances self-care efficacy and perceived health outcomes. We propose several theoretical implications for researchers and practical contributions for OHC administrators.     

Re-examining the influence of trust on online repeat purchase intention: The moderating role of habit and its antecedents

Customer loyalty or repeat purchasing is critical for the survival and success of any store. By focusing on online stores, this study investigates the moderating role of habit on the relationship between trust and repeat purchase intention. Prior research on online behavior continuance models perceives usefulness, trust, satisfaction, and perceived value as the major determinants of continued usage or loyalty, overlooking the important role of habit. We define habit in the context of online shopping as the extent to which buyers tend to shop online automatically without thinking. Building on recent research on the continued usage of IS and repeat purchasing, we develop a model suggesting that habit acts as a moderator between trust and repeat purchase intention, while familiarity, value and satisfaction are the three antecedents of habit. Data collected from 454 customers of the Yahoo!Kimo shopping mall provide strong support for the research model. The results indicate that a higher level of habit reduces the effect of trust on repeat purchase intention. The data also show that value, satisfaction, and familiarity are important to habit formation and thus relevant within the context of online repeat purchasing. The implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future research are also discussed.     

Why the first provider takes it all: the consequences of a low trust culture on pricing and ratings in online sourcing markets

Electronic markets are ruled by price and reputation, and, at least in the case of Online Sourcing Markets (OSM), also by preference for providers the buyer already contracted with. OSM are online markets for software development. Adding Fukuyama's notion of a low trust culture, an argument is advanced why buyers in OSM may give absolute preference to providers with whom they had previous contracts, presenting a special case of neoclassical contracting. Examining all the transactions in one calendar year at a leading OSM supports this proposition. All it took to be given the tender was to be the only bidding provider with at least one successful previous contract with the buyer, rendering pricing and ratings immaterial to bid choice. Only when none of the bidding providers had previous successful projects with the buyer did pricing and rating affect bid choice. The proposition is also consistent with the buyers’ comments about their providers. Implications are discussed about how a low trust culture affects OSM behavior.     

Social practices in teacher knowledge creation and innovation adoption: a large-scale study in an online instructional design community for inquiry learning

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning - Social practices are assumed to play an important role in the evolution of new teaching and learning methods. Teachers...     

Understanding continued smartwatch usage: the role of emotional as well as health and fitness factors

Electronic Markets - Smartwatches are the most popular wearable device and increasingly subject to empirical research. In recent years, the focus has shifted from revealing determinants of...     

Promoting collaborative skills in online university: comparing effects of games,mixed reality,social media,and other tools for ICT-supported pedagogical practices

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the development of collaborative skills through nine tools for information and communication technologies (ICT)-supported pedagogical practices, which are used in online universities. Using survey data for 930 online students at the Open University of Catalonia and partial least squares path modelling estimation techniques, three main findings emerged from the study. First, collaborative skills are directly explained by gamification and the use of mixed reality and social media in a socio-technical online learning context. Second, other tools for ICT-supported pedagogical practices (media content, wikis, open educational resources, personal webpages, personal cloud, and sharing files with fellow students and lecturers on the cloud) are not significant on collaborative skills development, when compared to use of games, mixed reality, and social media. Third, the analysis of indirect effects suggests that all four socio-technical factors (ICT, learning tasks, students, and organisation) existing in online university play a decisive, positive and significant role in collaborative skills development. Finally, these results are shown in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM studies. Thus, gamification, mixed reality, and sharing files are significant ICT-supported pedagogical practices in STEM studies. On the other hand, gamification is the only significant tool in non-STEM studies. Results are very useful for new approaches to design a framework for learning-team effectiveness in computer-supported collaborative learning.     

Elderly Japanese computer users: assessing changes in usage,attitude, and skill transfer over a one-year period

Changes and interrelations among computer usage, computer attitude, and skill transfer of elderly Japanese computer users were investigated over a one-year period. Each participant, aged 60 to 76 years, was provided with one touchscreen-based computer specialized for e-mail handling for 12 months. Participants usage of the computer, mouse and/or keyboard, and computer attitudes were investigated. The results showed that the Liking factor of the computer attitude scale was a possible predictor of computer usage. The results suggested the existence of four different types of users adaptation to computers, according to a combination of the Liking and Confidence dimensions of computer attitude.     

Toward holistic insights into trust in electronic markets: examining the structure of the relationship between vendor trust and its antecedents

This review advances propositions regarding the structure of the relationship between vendor trust and its antecedents as this structure pertains to the relative and complementary effectiveness of trust-building strategies. By understanding how the relationship between vendor trust and its antecedents is structured and why this relationship is structured the way it is, we hope to gain more holistic insights into trust in electronic market transactions and to provide online businesses with a clear recommendation of how to establish trust in an effective and efficient manner. Thus, while past research has made important contributions by uncovering a great number of antecedents to vendor trust, this review examines two strategies more in depth: Vendor reputation and Web site trust. Drawing from the literature on trust, we propose Vendor reputation to be more effective than Web site trust. We also propose a small complementary effect between Vendor reputation and Web site trust that may help online businesses to generate superior vendor trust.     

First do no harm: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence for the impact of individual suicidality on the use of online health forums and support groups

Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, especially among the young. This study aims to disentangle the presumed causality between the use of online health forums or support groups and suicidality using a representative telephone survey and a two-wave online panel survey containing the same question wording. Cross-sectional data show positive correlations between suicidality and online health forum use, but not limited to the younger. Using longitudinal panel data and autoregressive models, a positive cross-lagged effect of suicidality on internet-based health forum use one month later was revealed. Despite the wide-spread notion that online health forums can increase suicidality the present study provides evidence for the preventive potential of accessible and helpful information online.