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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Steven Watson, Professor Daniel ZizzoORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Unlawful digital media sharing is common and believed to be extremely damaging to business. Understanding unlawful file sharers’ motivations offers the opportunity to develop business models and behavioral interventions to maximize consumers’ and businesses’ benefit. This paper uses a systematic review of unlawful file sharing research, and the Theory of Planned Behavior, to motivate a large-scale panel study in which initial determinants were used to predict subsequent behavior. A meta-analysis found Attitudes, Subjective Norms and Perceived Behavioral Control were all associated with unlawful file sharing. Media type and demographic differences in the importance of Perceived Behavioral Control were found and attributed to more accurate evaluation of familiar activities, i.e., greater experience increases the influence of Perceived Behavioral Control but age does not.The panel study confirmed that greater past experience was associated with Perceived Behavioral Control and Intention. We conclude that past experience increases the efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behavior and specifically Perceived Behavioral control in predicting behavior, contrary to some widely held beliefs about the role of experience. The role of experience is therefore crucial to understanding people’s choices. Practically, improving social approval, positive evaluation and access to lawful media should reduce unlawful behavior.
Author(s): Fleming P, Watson SJ, Patouris E, Bartholomew KJ, Zizzo DJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Computers in Human Behavior
Year: 2017
Volume: 72
Pages: 535-548
Print publication date: 01/07/2017
Online publication date: 05/02/2017
Acceptance date: 04/02/2017
Date deposited: 08/02/2017
ISSN (print): 0747-5632
ISSN (electronic): 1873-7692
Publisher: Elsevier
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.014
DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.014
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