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Fear appeal cues to motivate users' security protection behaviors: an empirical test of heuristic cues to enhance risk communication

Jongpil Park (Kyungnam University, Changwon, Republic of Korea)
Jai-Yeol Son (School of Business, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Kil-Soo Suh (School of Business, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)

Internet Research

ISSN: 1066-2243

Article publication date: 16 September 2021

Issue publication date: 9 May 2022

698

Abstract

Purpose

Firms continue to struggle with end users who do not follow recommended actions for safeguarding information security. Thus, the authors utilize insights gained from studies on heuristic processing of risk information to design cues in fear appeal messages more effectively so as to more strongly engender fear among users, which can in turn lead them to take protective actions toward information security. Specifically, four types of fear appeal cues are identified: numeric risk communication, social distance and goal framing in verbal risk communication and visual risk communication.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from protection motivation theory, the authors hypothesize that these fear appeal cues can engender fear among users to a greater extent. In addition, the authors hypothesize that users will perceive a higher level of severity and susceptibility when they perceive a large amount of fear. The research hypotheses were tested employing data collected through a laboratory experiment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analyses were performed to analyze the data.

Findings

The study's results suggest that numeric and visual risk communication cues in security notices can significantly increase the amount of fear felt by users. In addition, social distance was found to marginally increase the amount of fear felt by users. However, unlike our expectation, goal framing was not found to increase the amount of fear when the other three types of fear appeal cues were also given in a security notice. It was also found that induced fear can increase the severity and susceptibility of threats as perceived by users.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature on fear appeal cues designed to promote users' security protection behaviors. No prior study has designed security notices featuring the four different types of fear appeal cues and empirically tested the effectiveness of those cues in inducing fear among users. The findings suggest that the design of fear appeal cues can be improved by understanding individuals' heuristic processing of risk information, which can be subject to cognitive biases.

Keywords

Citation

Park, J., Son, J.-Y. and Suh, K.-S. (2022), "Fear appeal cues to motivate users' security protection behaviors: an empirical test of heuristic cues to enhance risk communication", Internet Research, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 708-727. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-01-2021-0065

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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