Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-05-30DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104182
Jia Jin , Ailian Wang , Cuicui Wang , Qingguo Ma
{"title":"Erratum to “How do consumers perceive and process online overall vs. individual text-based reviews? Behavioral and eye-tracking evidence” [Information & Management 60/5 (2023) 103795]","authors":"Jia Jin , Ailian Wang , Cuicui Wang , Qingguo Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104182","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104182","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104182"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144780134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-06DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104205
Hua Lu , Xin (Robert) Luo , Shuang (Sara) Ma , Runyu Chen
Embracing the scarcity principle, we explore the effect of digital scarcity in nonfungible tokens (NFTs) on users’ online trading behaviors and social interactions (e.g., considering them as gifts). Using a dataset obtained from the NFTGo platform, we find that digital scarcity facilitates social behaviors but hinders trading behaviors. Notably, the influences of digital scarcity are more pronounced when there is less uncertainty (e.g., higher consistency of rarity evaluation and stronger impact of influencers). This research not only enriches the NFT literature with fresh insights into social and trading behaviors, but also extends the scarcity principle to the digital realm.
{"title":"Unveiling the paradox of NFT digital scarcity: Impacts of digital scarcity on online trading and social behaviors","authors":"Hua Lu , Xin (Robert) Luo , Shuang (Sara) Ma , Runyu Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104205","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104205","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Embracing the scarcity principle, we explore the effect of digital scarcity in nonfungible tokens (NFTs) on users’ online trading behaviors and social interactions (e.g., considering them as gifts). Using a dataset obtained from the NFTGo platform, we find that digital scarcity facilitates social behaviors but hinders trading behaviors. Notably, the influences of digital scarcity are more pronounced when there is less uncertainty (e.g., higher consistency of rarity evaluation and stronger impact of influencers). This research not only enriches the NFT literature with fresh insights into social and trading behaviors, but also extends the scarcity principle to the digital realm.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104205"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-08DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104208
Ruonan Zhang , Zhaoyang Yu
In the contemporary landscape of online platforms, virtual status systems, represented by badges, titles, and ranks, play a crucial role in user identification and engagement. Prior research highlights the positive impacts of virtual status awards on user engagement. However, the potential negative effects of status loss remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining the detrimental impact of virtual status loss on user engagement, emphasizing the varying intensity of the impact across multiple successive time points during users’ subsequent engagements. Utilizing reinforcement theory and accountability theory, it investigates how status loss affects user engagement. The findings suggest that status loss reduces the frequency of user engagement significantly and results in a stronger short-term shock that gradually diminishes. This effect is more intense for users with newly gained status, while those who have gained status multiple times experience weaker shocks. Additionally, losing status leads to a decline in the effort and quality of users’ contributions, with stronger negative impacts on engagement dimensions that users previously valued more. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the dual nature of virtual status systems, offering insights to optimize status-related user engagement strategies and enhance the development of online platforms.
{"title":"The dark side of virtual status systems: Exploring the impact of status loss on user engagement","authors":"Ruonan Zhang , Zhaoyang Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104208","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104208","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the contemporary landscape of online platforms, virtual status systems, represented by badges, titles, and ranks, play a crucial role in user identification and engagement. Prior research highlights the positive impacts of virtual status awards on user engagement. However, the potential negative effects of status loss remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining the detrimental impact of virtual status loss on user engagement, emphasizing the varying intensity of the impact across multiple successive time points during users’ subsequent engagements. Utilizing reinforcement theory and accountability theory, it investigates how status loss affects user engagement. The findings suggest that status loss reduces the frequency of user engagement significantly and results in a stronger short-term shock that gradually diminishes. This effect is more intense for users with newly gained status, while those who have gained status multiple times experience weaker shocks. Additionally, losing status leads to a decline in the effort and quality of users’ contributions, with stronger negative impacts on engagement dimensions that users previously valued more. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the dual nature of virtual status systems, offering insights to optimize status-related user engagement strategies and enhance the development of online platforms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104208"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-06-11DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104198
Haiyang Feng , Muzi Li , Wenfan Zhao , Nan Feng
This paper examines the conditions under which a paid viewership model generates more profits for Q&A platforms compared to a free viewership model. We find that when the unit cost of answer quality is low, the platform should adopt the free viewership model to attract more viewers. Otherwise, the paid viewership model is more profitable, as it incentivizes both askers and answerers to engage more actively. While the answerer consistently benefits more under the paid viewership model, active askers are better off only when the viewership fee remains low.
{"title":"Optimal revenue model for Q&A platforms: Paid or free viewership?","authors":"Haiyang Feng , Muzi Li , Wenfan Zhao , Nan Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104198","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104198","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the conditions under which a paid viewership model generates more profits for Q&A platforms compared to a free viewership model. We find that when the unit cost of answer quality is low, the platform should adopt the free viewership model to attract more viewers. Otherwise, the paid viewership model is more profitable, as it incentivizes both askers and answerers to engage more actively. While the answerer consistently benefits more under the paid viewership model, active askers are better off only when the viewership fee remains low.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104198"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144308189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-05-13DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104166
Alan R. Dennis , Sanjay Goel , Jenny Huang , Kevin J. Williams
We develop a construct called information security apathy, which we define as the extent to which individuals lack interest in information security. In Study 1, we develop and refine a scale to measure information security apathy, assess its content and its convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity, and show that it is distinct from and more stable over time than seven security motivation and attitude constructs used in prior research. In Study 2, we examine the relative effects of security apathy and security knowledge on security decisions by presenting users with a series of security situations and asking what security actions they would be likely to take. We also investigate the personality factors that influence security apathy. In Study 3, we again examine the relative effects of security apathy (and security knowledge) and its personality correlates, but this time when job responsibilities pose strong competing priorities to security compliance, a situation in which apathy should be particularly important. Studies 2 and 3 show that security apathy has a medium to large effect on security decisions—a noticeably larger effect than security knowledge. Our measure of security apathy offers researchers a better ability to predict security compliance and organizations a better way of assessing where to focus their security efforts (reducing apathy versus providing training).
{"title":"Who cares if we get hacked? The development and testing of a measure of information security apathy","authors":"Alan R. Dennis , Sanjay Goel , Jenny Huang , Kevin J. Williams","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104166","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We develop a construct called information security apathy, which we define as the extent to which individuals lack interest in information security. In Study 1, we develop and refine a scale to measure information security apathy, assess its content and its convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity, and show that it is distinct from and more stable over time than seven security motivation and attitude constructs used in prior research. In Study 2, we examine the relative effects of security apathy and security knowledge on security decisions by presenting users with a series of security situations and asking what security actions they would be likely to take. We also investigate the personality factors that influence security apathy. In Study 3, we again examine the relative effects of security apathy (and security knowledge) and its personality correlates, but this time when job responsibilities pose strong competing priorities to security compliance, a situation in which apathy should be particularly important. Studies 2 and 3 show that security apathy has a medium to large effect on security decisions—a noticeably larger effect than security knowledge. Our measure of security apathy offers researchers a better ability to predict security compliance and organizations a better way of assessing where to focus their security efforts (reducing apathy versus providing training).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104166"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144107065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-06DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104204
Yunting Wang , Ran (Alan) Zhang , Min Zhang , Xitong Guo
Online healthcare platforms (OHPs) have become increasingly popular among physicians and patients. To facilitate patients’ demand for physicians’ services, some OHPs introduce non-financial, gamification designs such as temporarily acquired virtual badges. These badges are awarded periodically based on physicians’ recent performance, subject to acquisition, retention, and loss. However, the impact of such strategies on patients is unclear and is understudied. We fill this gap by examining the signaling effects of temporarily acquired virtual badges on patients’ subsequent participation in online consultations. We find that the acquisition and retention of such badges can improve patients’ participation in online consultations. In addition, we identify factors that moderate these effects, including physicians’ seniority and altruism. Our findings provide theoretical explanations and practical implications.
{"title":"Good becomes better? Temporarily acquired virtual badges and the signaling effects on online healthcare platforms","authors":"Yunting Wang , Ran (Alan) Zhang , Min Zhang , Xitong Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104204","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Online healthcare platforms (OHPs) have become increasingly popular among physicians and patients. To facilitate patients’ demand for physicians’ services, some OHPs introduce non-financial, gamification designs such as temporarily acquired virtual badges. These badges are awarded periodically based on physicians’ recent performance, subject to acquisition, retention, and loss. However, the impact of such strategies on patients is unclear and is understudied. We fill this gap by examining the signaling effects of temporarily acquired virtual badges on patients’ subsequent participation in online consultations. We find that the acquisition and retention of such badges can improve patients’ participation in online consultations. In addition, we identify factors that moderate these effects, including physicians’ seniority and altruism. Our findings provide theoretical explanations and practical implications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104204"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144653634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-05-28DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104186
Hoon S. Choi , Eui Jun Jeong , Dan J. Kim
This study aims to clarify an ongoing controversy among stakeholders in the video game domain by examining the differential effect of self-determined motivation and need frustration on adaptive game use and game addiction. The findings reveal that the factors related to self-determined motivation are more closely linked to adaptive game use. Conversely, those about need frustration are more tightly associated with game addiction. The results suggest that adolescents’ game addiction mainly stems from need frustration arising from an unsatisfactory reality. Academic stress emerges as the primary driver of the transition from adaptive game use to game addiction.
{"title":"What makes video gaming productive or addictive? Differential effect of self-determined motivation and need frustration on adolescents’ video gaming","authors":"Hoon S. Choi , Eui Jun Jeong , Dan J. Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104186","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104186","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to clarify an ongoing controversy among stakeholders in the video game domain by examining the differential effect of self-determined motivation and need frustration on adaptive game use and game addiction. The findings reveal that the factors related to self-determined motivation are more closely linked to adaptive game use. Conversely, those about need frustration are more tightly associated with game addiction. The results suggest that adolescents’ game addiction mainly stems from need frustration arising from an unsatisfactory reality. Academic stress emerges as the primary driver of the transition from adaptive game use to game addiction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104186"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144195779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avatars, serving as a medium for users’ self-presentation, play a significant role in bridging the real and virtual worlds. Limited research has considered users’ desire to present their “hoped-for possible selves” when examining the effect of avatar design. This study addresses this gap by conducting four empirical investigations of the impact of avatar appearance design, particularly realism, on users’ continuing intention to use virtual products. It was found that low-realism avatars, as opposed to high-realism ones, increased users’ continuing use intention. Wishful identification and immersive experience serially mediated the avatar realism effect. The moderating role of users’ familiarity with other avatars was also examined, suggesting that when users were familiar with other avatars, the impact of avatar realism diminished. These findings provide significant contributions to the existing literature and offer actionable guidance for the design of avatars within social virtual environments.
{"title":"The effect of the realism degree of avatars in social virtual worlds: The perspective of self-presentation","authors":"Jiahui Huang , Minxue Huang , Mengmeng Zhan , Dawei Guan","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104185","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Avatars, serving as a medium for users’ self-presentation, play a significant role in bridging the real and virtual worlds. Limited research has considered users’ desire to present their “hoped-for possible selves” when examining the effect of avatar design. This study addresses this gap by conducting four empirical investigations of the impact of avatar appearance design, particularly realism, on users’ continuing intention to use virtual products. It was found that low-realism avatars, as opposed to high-realism ones, increased users’ continuing use intention. Wishful identification and immersive experience serially mediated the avatar realism effect. The moderating role of users’ familiarity with other avatars was also examined, suggesting that when users were familiar with other avatars, the impact of avatar realism diminished. These findings provide significant contributions to the existing literature and offer actionable guidance for the design of avatars within social virtual environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104185"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144189872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-07DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104207
Ali Hussain , Linda D. Hollebeek , Ben Marder , Ding Hooi Ting
Despite the rapid growth of virtual content purchases in online games, understanding of how to measure gamers’ motivations to purchase such in-game content lags behind to date, exposing an important gap in the literature. Addressing this gap, we take a self-determination theory perspective to conceptualize in-game content purchase motivations (IGCPMs) as a player’s drive for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in online games that leads the individual to purchase in-game virtual content. Following established scale development procedures, we conceptualize, develop, and validate an eight-dimensional, 30-item IGCPM scale. As a formative higher-order construct, IGCPMs comprise three second-order factors (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness motivations), which are each composed of particular facets: (i) players’ autonomy motivation comprises creativity, choice, and uniqueness, (ii) their competence motivation includes dominance, achievement, and skillfulness, and (iii) their relatedness motivation comprises social interaction and social affiliation. The findings generate pertinent implications for gaming researchers (e.g., by applying the proposed scale) and developers, manufacturers, and marketers (e.g., by allowing them to deduce players’ key IGCPMs).
{"title":"In-game content purchase motivations (IGCPMs): Conceptualization, scale development, and validation","authors":"Ali Hussain , Linda D. Hollebeek , Ben Marder , Ding Hooi Ting","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104207","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104207","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the rapid growth of virtual content purchases in online games, understanding of how to measure gamers’ motivations to purchase such in-game content lags behind to date, exposing an important gap in the literature. Addressing this gap, we take a self-determination theory perspective to conceptualize <em>in-game content purchase motivations</em> (IGCPMs) as a player’s drive for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in online games that leads the individual to purchase in-game virtual content. Following established scale development procedures, we conceptualize, develop, and validate an eight-dimensional, 30-item IGCPM scale. As a formative higher-order construct, IGCPMs comprise three second-order factors (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness motivations), which are each composed of particular facets: (i) players’ autonomy motivation comprises creativity, choice, and uniqueness, (ii) their competence motivation includes dominance, achievement, and skillfulness, and (iii) their relatedness motivation comprises social interaction and social affiliation. The findings generate pertinent implications for gaming researchers (e.g., by applying the proposed scale) and developers, manufacturers, and marketers (e.g., by allowing them to deduce players’ key IGCPMs).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104207"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-06-18DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2025.104197
Jia Jin , Qingsong Liu , Yufeng Yang , Baojun Ma , Yu Pan
This research investigates how social crowding affects mobile purchase behavior through a scenario-based questionnaire, field research, and eye-tracking experiment, from the perspective of information processing. We find that social crowding reduces consumers’ purchase intentions, mediated by focused attention. This impact is more pronounced for search products compared to experience products, highlighting the moderating role of product type. Eye-tracking results show that under high social crowding, total fixation counts decrease only for search products and mediate the effect of social crowding on mobile consumption, supporting the idea that reduced focused attention impedes information processing and lowers purchase intentions across product types.
{"title":"How social crowding impacts mobile shopping: A perspective from information processing","authors":"Jia Jin , Qingsong Liu , Yufeng Yang , Baojun Ma , Yu Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104197","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.im.2025.104197","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research investigates how social crowding affects mobile purchase behavior through a scenario-based questionnaire, field research, and eye-tracking experiment, from the perspective of information processing. We find that social crowding reduces consumers’ purchase intentions, mediated by focused attention. This impact is more pronounced for search products compared to experience products, highlighting the moderating role of product type. Eye-tracking results show that under high social crowding, total fixation counts decrease only for search products and mediate the effect of social crowding on mobile consumption, supporting the idea that reduced focused attention impedes information processing and lowers purchase intentions across product types.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56291,"journal":{"name":"Information & Management","volume":"62 7","pages":"Article 104197"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144308188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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