The Dark Side of Information Technology Use

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    Can the Use of Data Analytics Tools Lead to Discriminatory Decisions?
    ( 2019-01-08) Ebrahimi, Sepideh ; Hassanein, Khaled
    Data Analytics (DA) has been criticized for contributing to discriminatory decisions in organizations. To date, several studies have investigated reasons for the generation of discriminatory recommendations by DA tools and how to ameliorate the issue. Nonetheless, recent studies by researchers, practitioners, and government agencies show that despite the progress made, the issue has not been eliminated. As a result, it is crucial for DA users to be vigilant about the danger of discriminatory recommendations generated by DA tools. This study represents an effort to provide empirical evidence about whether and to what extent decision makers will readily accept a discriminatory DA recommendation and about the cognition and attitudes that are associated with this behavior. The results obtained from an empirical study confirms that a majority of users readily accepted a discriminatory recommendation and sheds light on what factors influence this acceptance.
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    ICT, Permeability Between the Spheres of Life and Psychological Distress Among Lawyers
    ( 2019-01-08) Cadieux, Nathalie ; Mosconi, Elaine ; Youssef, Nancy
    The pervasiveness of information and communications technologies (ICT) has changed the nature of work in recent decades. Positive and negative impacts of ICT have been identified in every profession, including among lawyers. This paper examines the impact of ICT on the working conditions, stress and psychological distress experienced by lawyers, based on a qualitative study. Twenty-two (22) interviews were conducted with the aim of gaining a deep understanding of this issue. A thematic content analysis of the interviews revealed that factors related to ICT appear to contribute to the overall stress (technostress and other stress) experienced by lawyers, in turn leading to psychological distress. Moreover, the growing permeability between the different spheres of life caused by ICT and their particular characteristics has increased the workload of lawyers and accelerated their pace of work. Participants also identified frequent technological problems, as well as clients’ misinformation on the Internet, as risk factors.
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    Negative Consequences of Anthropomorphized Technology: A Bias-Threat-Illusion Model
    ( 2019-01-08) Zheng, Jianqing (Frank) ; Jarvenpaa, Sirkka
    Attributing human-like traits to information technology (IT) — leading to what is called anthropomorphized technology (AT)—is increasingly common by users of IT. Previous IS research has offered varying perspectives on AT, although it primarily focuses on the positive consequences. This paper aims to clarify the construct of AT and proposes a “bias–threat–illusion” model to classify the negative consequences of AT. Drawing on “three-factor theory of anthropomorphism” from social psychology and integrating self-regulation theory, we propose that failing to regulate the use of elicited agent knowledge and to control the intensified psychological needs (i.e., sociality and effectance) when interacting with AT leads to negative consequences: “transferring human bias,” “inducing threat to human agency,” and “creating illusionary relationship.” Based on this bias–threat–illusion model, we propose theory-driven remedies to attenuate negative consequences. We conclude with implications for IS theories and practice.
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    Where Are Your Thoughts? On the Relationship between Technology Use and Mind Wandering
    ( 2019-01-08) Oschinsky, Frederike Marie ; Klesel, Michael ; Ressel, Nina ; Niehaves, Bjoern
    Mind wandering is an important brain activity that fosters creativity and productivity. Research suggests that individuals spend up to 50% of their waking time thinking about things that are unrelated to the present situation or task. Previous literature has acknowledged the importance of mind wandering in technology-related contexts by investigating its mediating role between task and individual performance. In this study, we go one step further and investigate the direct relationship between technology use and mind wandering. In particular, we investigate if different types of technology use (hedonic use vs. utilitarian use) have an impact on mind wandering. Results from a factorial survey study (n=90) suggest that there is a significant difference between hedonic use and utilitarian use when it comes to mind wandering. Based on these insights, we discuss the role of mind wandering for IS research and potentials for future research.
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