| Περίληψη: |
Conspiracy theories are increasingly emerging as a threat to contemporary society. Prior research highlights the crucial role that information technology (IT) plays in accelerating the spread of these theories. However, mass media coverage suggests that the role of IT extends beyond mere dissemination as conspiracy theories often target the technology itself. In this research, we explore the prevalence of technology conspiracy beliefs—specifically, beliefs in technology-related conspiracy theories, the factors promoting these beliefs, and their consequences. Our findings reveal that technology conspiracy beliefs are widespread, affecting popular commercial technologies, such as Amazon Echo and Google Search Engine, as well as public technologies designed for societal well-being, such as contact tracing apps. Moreover, we demonstrate across four empirical studies that technology conspiracy beliefs reinforce a conspiracy mindset. This mindset is associated with a breakdown of social collaboration, constructive political discourse, and society's ability to respond to crises. Given that these beliefs impede the adoption of beneficial technology and foster a harmful conspiracy mindset, they should be a primary concern for technology designers, managers, and policymakers. By identifying the perceptions of technology and its provider that promote these conspiracy beliefs, we provide initial insights into ways to mitigate their emergence. Conspiracy theories, which allege that powerful groups hatch malicious plots, are increasingly recognized as a threat to contemporary society. Although research acknowledges the role of information technology (IT) in spreading such theories, the understanding of conspiracy beliefs related to technology, their formation, and their effects remains limited. Building on theoretical insights on conspiracy beliefs and information systems (IS) research dealing with the impact of individuals' perceptions of technology, we theorize on technology conspiracy beliefs. We define technology conspiracy beliefs as an individual's endorsement of an unverified narrative that purports that an organization issuing technology is using that technology to secretly pursue evil goals. We then develop the TECONMIND (technology-conspiracy-mindset) model, which suggests that an individual's perceptions of a technology's characteristics (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and perceived risks) and its issuer's characteristics (perceived malevolence and perceived power) can lead to the formation of technology conspiracy beliefs. Moreover, the model proposes a reciprocal relationship between technology conspiracy beliefs and a broader conspiracy mindset. Accordingly, we expect technology conspiracy beliefs to foster a conspiracy mindset, which in turn, promotes further technology conspiracy beliefs. We provide empirical evidence for the prevalence of technology conspiracy beliefs and then test this model in two studies—a multiwave field study and an experiment—that support our central propositions. Our study contributes to IS research in three ways. First, by developing a conceptual understanding of technology conspiracy beliefs, we introduce an IT artifact-centered concept that allows researchers to explore a previously overlooked dark side of technology. Second, we establish a reciprocal relationship between technology conspiracy beliefs and conspiracy mindsets, indicating that the endorsement of technology conspiracy beliefs can set in motion a vicious cycle in which individuals increasingly interpret their environment using conspiracy theories. Third, we provide an initial understanding of which perceived technology and issuer characteristics make technologies prone to become objects of conspiracy beliefs. Our findings should sensitize technology developers and policymakers as to how their decisions can instigate or mitigate technology conspiracy beliefs, which have significant long-term societal consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |