Citation
(2014), "2013 Awards for Excellence", Internet Research, Vol. 24 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-02-2014-001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2013 Awards for Excellence
Article Type: 2013 Awards for Excellence From: Internet Research, Volume 24, Issue 1
The following article was selected for this year's Outstanding Paper Award for Internet Research
"Impact of privacy concern in social networking web sites"
Xin Tan, Li Qin, Yongbeom Kim and Jeffrey Hsu
AbstractPurpose – The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of users’ privacy concerns on their acceptance of social networking
web sites (SNWs).
Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops two research models, with privacy concern conceptualized either as an antecedent of acceptance intention,
or as a moderator of the relationships in the technology acceptance model (TAM). Using a survey questionnaire, empirical data
were collected from 428 undergraduate college students. Structured equation modeling was used to test the validity of the
proposed research models.
Findings – The privacy concerns of the research respondents were found to be statistically significant. However, they did not directly
affect users’ acceptance of social networking web sites. Instead, privacy concerns did moderate the effects of perceived usefulness,
and perceived ease of use, on users’ intention to continue to use SNWs.
Research limitations/implications – The study identifies the theoretical foundations of privacy and privacy concerns in the context of SNWs. This empirical
study, based on an established theoretical foundation, will help the research community to gain a deeper understanding of
the impacts of privacy concern in the context of social networking.
Practical implications – The findings of this study can provide SNW operators with useful strategies and tactics to enhance users’ acceptance depending
on their level of privacy concern.
Originality/value – With the worldwide rapid growth of SNWs, there have been ongoing concerns about how users’ private information is viewed
or used by others. This study provides much needed empirical evidence about the impact of privacy concerns on users’ acceptance
of SNWs.
Keywords Attitudes, Privacy, Social networking sites, Technology acceptance, User studies
This article originally appeared in Volume 22 Number 2, 2012, Internet Research
www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/10662241211214575
The following articles were selected for this year's Highly Commended Award
“Beyond price: how does trust encourage online group's buying intention?”
Edward C.S. Ku
This article originally appeared in Volume 22 Number 5, 2012, Internet Research
“The functional and usable appeal of Facebook SNS games”
Kuo-Hsiang Chen, Kai-Shuan Shen, Min-Yuan Ma
This article originally appeared in Volume 22 Number 4, 2012, Internet Research
"Online experiences and virtual goods purchase intention"
Echo Huang
This article originally appeared in Volume 22 Number 3, 2012, Internet Research
Outstanding Reviewer
June Lu
University of Houston-Victoria, USA
Robert Davis
Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand