Social media acceptance and use under risk: a cross-cultural study of the impact of antisocial behaviour on the use of Twitter

Abstract

The problem of online antisocial behaviour is increasingly attracting public attention and is compromising the quality of online communities. Previous research into online hostility has looked at different aspects of the problem, such as definitions, classification, or specific case studies in different cyberspaces; however, the impact of antisocial behaviour on social media users remain unclear. The purpose of this research, therefore, is to investigate the impact of antisocial behaviour on social media users, specifically on Twitter (as one of the controversial cyberspaces in which antisocial behaviour is common). Furthermore, since culture plays an important role in how people use social media and interact with each other, the study investigates the impact within one western and one non-western culture, namely the Anglophone and the Saudi Arabian cultures. One approach to understanding how people use a certain technology is through technology acceptance models and theories. Hence, this study proposes a new model, called the Technology Acceptance and Use under Risk (TAUR) model, which is based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The TAUR model integrates the perception of antisocial behaviour as a risk factor with other factors drawn from sociology. The model is derived from the literature and has been validated through expert reviews using semi-structured interviews. The study follows a sequential mixed methods design that gathers qualitative and quantitative data in an ordered sequence. The first phase, which included interviews with twelve experts from different disciplines, lent support to the TAUR model and inspired improvements. The second phase included a large-scale quantitative study that gathered data from 740 participants through an online questionnaire; the model was then assessed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) for the two different cultures. Lastly, the results were further explained through semi-structured follow-up interviews with 20 participants from both cultures. The results demonstrated that the TAUR model achieved a good fit with the data. The main finding was that the perception of antisocial behaviour does impose limitations on Twitter use, as the evidence obtained from the quantitative analysis shows that it has a negative interaction with the other factors influencing Twitter use. The subsequent qualitative analysis also supported the results by explaining how Twitter use is being restricted by perceptions of antisocial behaviour. The study also shows that performance expectancy from Twitter is a major influence on its use, despite the problem of antisocial behaviour. The research contributes to the body of knowledge in the fields of technology acceptance research, social media, and cross-cultural research theoretically, methodologically, and practically. It also demonstrates that the perceived risk of antisocial behaviour online has an effect on social media use.

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ORCID for Wendy Hall: orcid.org/0000-0003-4327-7811

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