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Individual differences in susceptibility to online influence: A theoretical review

Williams, Emma J. ; Beardmore, Amy ; Joinson, Adam N. (2017) — Computers in Human Behavior

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DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.002 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Global
Tags:   Decision Making, Elaboration Likelihood Model, Heuristic Systematic Model, Individual Differences, Information Processing, Online Scams, Phishing, Risk, Romance Scams, Social Engineering, Susceptibility, Theoretical Review, Trust
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Synopsis

            
This theoretical review synthesizes literature on online scams, social influence, phishing, persuasion, decision-making, and individual differences. It develops a holistic conceptual model in which susceptibility reflects recipient traits, current state, context, and influence mechanisms, intended as a basis for future hypothesis testing and experimentation. Scammers use emotional triggers, including panic, excitement, curiosity, and empathy, to encourage judgment and decision-making errors. Habitual patterns of email use can increase susceptibility to phishing attempts. The article is a theoretical review rather than a new empirical study.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
Research on individual differences in online-scam susceptibility is limited by under-reporting, difficulty accessing relevant populations, and little experimental work. The effects of emotions on scam responses are largely neglected. The magnitude and interaction of trait, state, contextual, and message-level risk factors remain unknown, as do the most effective intervention targets and mechanisms of training.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
This theoretical review synthesizes literature on online scams, social influence, phishing, persuasion, decision-making, and individual differences. It develops a holistic conceptual model in which susceptibility reflects recipient traits, current state, context, and influence mechanisms, intended as a basis for future hypothesis testing and experimentation.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The article is a theoretical review rather than a new empirical study. Its proposed risk factors are drawn partly from adjacent fields because direct research on online-scam susceptibility is limited. The relationships, effect sizes, and interactions specified in the proposed model are explicitly unknown and require empirical testing.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Test the proposed model experimentally to determine how trait, state, contextual, and message factors combine to affect susceptibility. Establish whether effects are additive, multiplicative, or limited by a ceiling. Identify intervention points with the greatest effect on secure behaviour, and examine how training and education reduce susceptibility and why suspicious people may still succumb.

          

              

    
    

        
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