FIGHTING FALSE INFORMATION - DESIGNING A CONVERSATIONAL AGENT FOR PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS

2023 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Kocur, Alexander; Clausen, Sünje; Hofeditz, Lennart; Brünker, Felix; Fromm, Jennifer; Stieglitz, Stefan

Abstract: The digital transformation poses challenges for public sector organizations (PS ... Expand

Abstract: The digital transformation poses challenges for public sector organizations (PSOs) such as the dissemination of false information in social media which can cause uncertainty among citizens and decrease trust in the public sector. Some PSOs already successfully deploy conversational agents (CAs) to communicate with citizens and support digital service delivery. In this paper, we used design science research (DSR) to examine how CAs could be designed to assist PSOs in fighting false information online. We conducted a workshop with the municipality of Kristiansand, Norway to define objectives that a CA would have to meet for addressing the identified false information challenges. A prototypical CA was developed and evaluated in two iterations with the municipality and students from Norway. This research-in-progress paper presents findings and next steps of the DSR process. This research contributes to advancing the digital transformation of the public sector in combating false information problems. Collapse

Topics: misinformation usability digital transformation Google+

Methods: survey qualitative interview group interview design process design science

How Sociotechnical Realignment and Sentiments Concerning Remote Work are Related – Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic

2023 | Business & Information Systems Engineering | Citations: 0

Authors: Kohn, Vanessa; Frank, Muriel; Holten, Roland

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic forced sociotechnical systems (STS) to highly integrate re ... Expand

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic forced sociotechnical systems (STS) to highly integrate remote work. Large-scale analyses show that the positivity of tweets about work from home decreased until COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO and re-increased in the weeks that followed. Nevertheless, it is unclear if this reaction is due to personal and organizational developments or if it mirrors the realignment of entire STS. The present study uses Q methodology to identify differences in how STS realign to the externally enforced integration of remote work. Only STS that reach a state of high alignment to remote work conditions by successfully shifting communication and procedures to digital spheres can be considered resilient. The results show that employees describe their personal experiences with remote work as more positive the higher their level of sociotechnical realignment. Furthermore, personal digital resilience is correlated to successful STS realignment as well. The results confirm the importance of realigning not only the technical and social components of STS but above all their sociotechnical interaction. Negative sentiments relate in particular to the low realization of humanistic objectives in STS. Collapse

Topics: remote work IT supported collaboration pandemic productivity privacy

Methods: sentiment analysis Q methodology qualitative interview linear regression analysis Mann Whitney U test

Theories: sociotechnical systems theory socio technical theory

Reputation Spillover from Agencies on Online Platforms: Evidence from the Entertainment Industry

2023 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Kokkodis, Marios; Adamopoulos, Panagiotis; Ransbotham, Sam

Abstract: Digital markets have proliferated in recent years, overcoming many market ineff ... Expand

Abstract: Digital markets have proliferated in recent years, overcoming many market inefficiencies by facilitating direct interactions between consumers and creators. Thanks to this disintermediation, consumers now have access to a vast number of alternatives, while creators can efficiently reach huge markets. However, the success of digital markets has created a concomitant challenge for creators: differentiation. In crowded markets, agencies (e.g., publishing companies in books, freelance agencies in online labor markets, independent labels in music) can differentiate creators by signaling product quality. But how do agencies' reputations affect product success for creators? Can some agencies do more harm than good? To investigate these research questions, we theorize how variation in creator and agency reputation leads to asymmetric and heterogeneous effects, namely that (1) more reputable agencies have a stronger positive effect on less reputable creators than they have on more reputable creators, and (2) less reputable agencies hurt more reputable creators more than they hurt less reputable ones. Analyses of more than one million observations from two digital markets provide empirical support for these theory-driven arguments. The findings have design implications for markets and contribute to our understanding of how agencies, depending on creator reputation, can either benefit or hurt product success.Marios Kokkodis is a machine learning scientist working on personalization, recommender systems, and markets. His work appears in major information systems, data mining, and multidisciplinary outlets. He has received multiple awards and nominations, including the INFORMS ISS Gordon B. Davis Young Scholar Award, the INFORMS ISS Nunamaker-Chen dissertation award, the NYU Stern Harold W. MacDowell award, and the LinkedIn economic graph challenge award. Collapse

Topics: electronic market social media Google+ digital platform marketing management

Methods: theory development econometric modeling descriptive statistic gradient boosting machine learning

Theories: cognitive theory expectation disconfirmation theory decision theory contrast theory assimilation theory of learning

Adjusting Skillset Cohesion in Online Labor Markets: Reputation Gains and Opportunity Losses

2023 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Kokkodis, Marios

Abstract: In online labor markets, contractors’ ability to charge for their services large ... Expand

Abstract: In online labor markets, contractors’ ability to charge for their services largely depends on their skills. To keep up with shifting labor market needs, contractors often expand their skills with new skills. When the new skills are similar to the contractors’ current skills, they often increase skillset cohesion (i.e., the average similarity of skills in a skillset). However, when the new skills have little similarity with contractors’ current skills, skillset cohesion decreases. Despite the recent surge in research that studies remote contractor behavior, little is known on how such adjustments of skillset cohesion affect contractor value in digital workplaces for short-term work. To investigate, I argue that skillset adjustments affect market value through changes in the contractor’s perceived reputation on the new skills and the additional job opportunities that new skills create. Building on prior work on individual-level exploration-exploitation, I hypothesize that compared with skills that decrease cohesion, skills that increase cohesion result in reputation gains and opportunity losses. If reputation gains are greater than opportunity losses, increasing skillset cohesion will result in higher market value than decreasing skillset cohesion. However, if the opposite is true, increasing skillset cohesion will result in lower market value than decreasing skillset cohesion. Empirically, I measure a contractor’s market value through hourly wages and hiring rates and skillset cohesion through word embeddings. Analysis of a panel data set of 47,638 tasks illustrates these tradeoffs of increasing skillset cohesion: for hourly wages, reputation gains are smaller than opportunity losses; hence, all else being equal, increasing skillset cohesion has a relatively negative effect on wages. However, for hiring rates, the opposite is true: increasing skillset cohesion increases contractor hireability. As the first study to explain the effects of adjusting skillset cohesion in digital workplaces, the work allows contractors to make better-informed decisions and guides managerial interventions. History: Ravi Bapna, Senior Editor; Yuliang Yao, Associate Editor. Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1177. Collapse

Topics: online labor market IT career skill acquisition IT supported collaboration remote work

Methods: word embedding mediation analysis longitudinal research quantitative observational study instrumental variables estimation

To regulate or not to regulate: unravelling institutional tussles around the regulation of algorithmic control of digital platforms

2023 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 0

Authors: Kokshagina, Olga; Reinecke, Pauline C; Karanasios, Stan

Abstract: Regulating how digital platforms use algorithms to determine and control content ... Expand

Abstract: Regulating how digital platforms use algorithms to determine and control content displayed to their users is both a controversial topic and an important societal challenge. Existing research acknowledges institutional tussles around regulating how digital platforms use algorithms to determine and control content. However, we lack research showing how the development of regulation unfolds. We build on data from a longitudinal discourse analysis of 410 media articles and 483 policy and industry documents to study two cases of algorithmic control regulation in Australia. The first involves algorithmic control for content display, the second for content moderation. We develop a process model of institutional work towards regulation of algorithmic control. It captures the institutional tussles between governments, digital platforms and third parties as each expresses their perspective on legitimate forms of algorithmic control and shapes the process and outcome of regulation. Building on our model, we discuss the dynamics of regulation development in light of the constellation of actors and their power position in the process. We further consider the regulatory outcome and highlight future research questions that build on our findings. Collapse

Topics: digital platform terrorist incident Facebook innovation management database system

Methods: computational algorithm qualitative content analysis literature sample longitudinal research business process modeling

INTERGENERATIONAL TENSIONS IN ICT ADOPTION FOR INDEPENDENT AND HEALTHY AGEING: PRELIMINARY INSIGHTS FROM A VALUE-FOCUSED THINKING STUDY IN POLAND AND SWEDEN

2023 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Kolkowska, Ella; Soja, Ewa; Soja, Piotr

Abstract: Current literature highlights the importance of understanding intergenerational ... Expand

Abstract: Current literature highlights the importance of understanding intergenerational tensions that arise in the context of implementation of ICT for independent and healthy ageing. The current study aims to explore tensions between value-based objectives emphasized by seniors and younger adults in the context of ICT for independent and healthy ageing in Poland and Sweden. Value-based objectives were identified by applying the value-focused thinking approach. By comparing the identified objectives between young adults and seniors, we found several significant tensions, both in Poland and Sweden. In particular, we found that young adults might perceive seniors as a fragile and passive group, which clashes with how seniors perceive themselves. The analysis also revealed several areas of agreement, e.g. with Polish young and senior respondents unanimously emphasizing improvement of seniors' health condition and ICT usefulness for families, and Swedes agreeing upon the importance of seniors' autonomy, social contact, and equal access to digital solutions.Keywords: Value-focused thinking, intergenerational tensions, ICT, independent and healthy ageing, Poland, Sweden.   Enhance seniors' activity (BOTH: seniors can activate themselves by going out and meeting people; OLD: use technology for fun, social contact, participate in interest groups, learn from Internet)   Ensure acceptance by seniors (BOTH: usefulness, to have IT sufficient skills; YOUNG: seniors should feel comfortable to have technology at home; OLD: trust, support, feeling of control)   Ensure alignment with seniors' needs (BOTH: easy to use, support various areas of life, covers different needs; YOUNG: easy to interact with (voice); OLD: pleasant design, easy to understand, flexible and adjustable, not complex, not too many functions, use familiar solutions)   Ensure equal access to digital solutions (BOTH: the solution needs to have an affordable price, new payment models need to be developed, governmental support is necessary, everyone can afford technical solutions)   Ensure privacy and data security (BOTH: individuals need to be able to decide who access, balance between monitoring and privacy information and who interpret it; YOUNG: the collected data need to be protected during communication, usage and storage, caregivers check)   Ensure a balance between digital and traditional homecare (BOTH: ICT solutions should complement traditional healthcare and not replace it)   Ensure seniors' autonomy (BOTH: seniors have a right to make their own decision about the level of digitalization, where they would live, monitoring etc., take part in decision making )   Improve quality of care (BOTH: quick access to various kinds of care, health-related information availability, better health prevention should be established, more efficient care; YOUNG: ensure remote control of health status)   Maximize reliability of the solution (BOTH: the solution needs to work without failures, seniors cannot be responsible for the technology to work; YOUNG: the solution should provide correct data)   Maximize senior's quality of life (BOTH: to feel free and safe at home, do not feel lonely, feel as a part of society; OLD: not feel as burden to the family, the family do not be concerned, to feel needed)   Maximize social contact (BOTH: facilitate communication with family and friends, allow homecare personal to spend more quality time with seniors)   Maximize solution's availability (BOTH: affordable price; YOUNG: support different areas of life and address seniors' physical and psychological needs; OLD: be informed about existing solutions)   Promote digital development (BOTH: digitalization of elderly care and efficient use of resources, develop IT skills and competencies; YOUNG: prepare seniors for using ICT, create new roles and responsibilities, relevant skills and competencies (seniors, family, and personnel), develop positive attitude and trust, digitalization cannot be driven solely by economical aspects)   Provide possibility for ageing in place (BOTH: ICT solutions should enable seniors to age at home)  Minimize burden to the family and other caregivers (YOUNG: to decrease burden to the family, reduce their concern, to decrease their workload)  Improve work quality of homecare personnel (YOUNG: reduce stress by decreasing their workload, time-pressure, and concerns for the seniors, increase their competence and IT skills)  Tensions in ICT for Ageing Collapse

Topics: database system information system use systems design decision making usability

Methods: qualitative interview

Exploring Consumers Risk Mitigation Strategies in E-Commerce: A Qualitative Study of High-Risk Transactions

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Kollmer, Tim; Durani, Khalid; Peterhänsel, Florian; Eckhardt, Andreas; Augustin, Nils

Abstract: The recent Covid-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in online shopping. Whi ... Expand

Abstract: The recent Covid-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in online shopping. While the promises of shopping on e-commerce platforms are vast, there are simultaneously novel and exacerbated risks compared to traditional brick-and-mortar retail purchases. Existing research outlines numerous risk dimensions associated with online shopping. In addition, scholars examine the underlying reasons for consumers' risk perceptions, such as the inability of physical quality checks. However, there is a lack of research investigating how consumers attempt to navigate and mitigate risk perceptions when confronted with a high-risk online transaction. To address this research gap, we conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with consumers who had recently performed an online transaction associated with high-risk perceptions. Our study contributes to the existing literature by identifying an affective and cognitive risk mitigation strategy and respective underlying mechanisms. Notably, we find that online social networks play a central role in shaping consumers' risk perceptions. Collapse

Topics: electronic commerce decision making social network Instagram YouTube

Methods: qualitative interview personal interview product review qualitative content analysis

Dark Patterns

2023 | Business & Information Systems Engineering | Citations: 4

Authors: Kollmer, Tim; Eckhardt, Andreas

Abstract: ... Expand

Abstract: Collapse

Topics: personality information technology addiction usability user interface privacy

Insights on Attention Capture Dark Patterns in Social Networking Sites

2023 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Kollmer, Tim; Eckhardt, Andreas

Abstract: Over the last decade, organizations have almost doubled the users' average dail ... Expand

Abstract: Over the last decade, organizations have almost doubled the users' average daily time spent on social networking sites. A potential driver is the incorporation of attention capture dark patterns in social networking sites, which are designed to maximize users' time spent, daily visits, and interactions with social networking sites. However, up to this date, the actual impact of attention capture dark patterns on users is largely unexplored. Our research aims to bridge this gap by examining the impact of attention capture dark patterns on users through a full factorial between-subjects vignette study. We expect our final research to contribute to dark patterns research by generating insights into how users respond to attention capture dark patterns. This enables us to derive practical implications for social networking sites' interface and interaction design. Collapse

Topics: mindfulness social media social network video game

Methods: experiment design artifact survey statistical power analysis literature study

Uncovering Drivers for the Integration of Dark Patterns in Conversational Agents

2023 | International Conference on Business Informatics | Citations: 0

Authors: Kollmer, Tim; Hauser, Alessa; Oberhofer, Viviana; Blossey, Gregor; Eckhardt, Andreas

Abstract: Today, organizations increasingly utilize conversational agents (CAs), which ar ... Expand

Abstract: Today, organizations increasingly utilize conversational agents (CAs), which are smart technologies that converse in a human-to-human interaction style. CAs are very effective in guiding users through digital environments. However, this makes them natural targets for dark patterns, which are user interface design elements that infringe on user autonomy by fostering uninformed decisions. Integrating dark patterns in CAs has tremendous impacts on supposedly free user choices in the digital space. Thus, we conducted a qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews with developers to investigate drivers of dark patterns in CAs. Our findings reveal that six drivers for the implementation of dark patterns exist. The technical drivers include heavy guidance of CAs during the conversation and the CAs' data collection potential. Additionally, organizational drivers are assertive stakeholder dominance and time pressure during the development process. Team drivers incorporate a deficient user understanding and an inexperienced team. Collapse

Topics: user experience IT development project marketing management systems development website

Methods: qualitative interview qualitative coding personal interview survey synthesis