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Dark side of instant messaging: an empirical investigation from technology and society perspective

Sheshadri Chatterjee (Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India)
Ranjan Chaudhuri (Department of Marketing, National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai, India)
Demetris Vrontis (School of Business, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus)

Aslib Journal of Information Management

ISSN: 2050-3806

Article publication date: 2 August 2021

Issue publication date: 5 September 2022

622

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the dark side of instant messaging from the technological and societal perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

With the help of literature review and different theories, a model has been developed conceptually. Later the model has been validated using statistical method. The authors have used 304 responses from the survey method, and this sample has been used to statistically validate the conceptual model.

Findings

This paper has been able to explicitly investigate and identify how different instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, WeChat in the form of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) are contributing toward increase of mob lynching cases. The paper also highlights the important to have effective and enforceable regulation to regulate instant messaging services to the citizens.

Research limitations/implications

The findings cannot be generalized as the data is collected from India only. Moreover, the study is cross-sectional in nature. To get the comprehensive results, a longitudinal study needs to be conducted. This study considered seven constructs with one moderator. Having more predictors with other boundary conditions might have increased the explanative power of the model.

Practical implications

Instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, WeChat and so on are disseminating quick unverified information to the common people. This information sometimes is disseminated in inappropriate and exaggerated forms. This makes the instant messaging (WhatsApp) users' sentiment readily heated in some cases. They take such an action as mob lynching. This study determines the predictors of mob lynching along with the moderator impact of instant messaging in the society.

Originality/value

There are only a few studies those have explored the dark side of instant messaging. The proposed theoretical model is a unique model, which shows the predictors of mob lynching along with the negative consequences of the instant messaging (WhatsApp) in the society. From this perspective, this study can be considered as a unique study.

Keywords

Citation

Chatterjee, S., Chaudhuri, R. and Vrontis, D. (2022), "Dark side of instant messaging: an empirical investigation from technology and society perspective", Aslib Journal of Information Management, Vol. 74 No. 5, pp. 928-955. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-04-2021-0101

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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