The Dark Side of Digitalization: Three Case Studies of the Negative Implications of Information Technology

Abstract

While the use of information technology (IT) can have both positive and negative implications, extant information systems (IS) studies have predominantly focused on positive accounts of IT use over the years. This thesis aims to examine the emerging roles of IT and the unintended consequences of IT use. Although studying the dark side phenomena of IT use at different levels of analysis is important because the use of IT can have negative implications in hedonic, organizational, and societal settings, most of the existing research focuses on an individual level of analysis in a work context. This thesis, therefore, focuses on understanding how the use of IT contributes to unintended implications (1) in a hedonic context with an individual level of analysis, (2) in a work context with an organizational level of analysis, and (3) in a societal context with a societal level of analysis. More specifically, the role of IT in mobile gaming addiction, digital debt accrual, and Hikikomori development is examined in terms of its unintended consequences using three levels of analysis, respectively. Accordingly, three qualitative case studies are presented to answer the following research questions: (1) “How do negative implications arise as a result of IT use in a hedonic context?” (2) “How do negative implications arise as a result of IT implementation and use at the organizational level?” and (3) “How do negative implications arise as a result of IT use at a societal level?” To address the first research question, the first case study chosen is Empires and Puzzles. This is one of the world’s most commercially successful mobile games, rated as a top 10 grossing app in the role-playing games and strategy games category on both the iOS and Android platforms. The study examines this case to identify the specific mechanisms of mobile gaming addiction, thus representing one of the earliest in-depth studies to offer a hedonic perspective of dark side phenomena. In particular, this study reveals the mechanisms of how the characteristics, features, and content of a mobile game influence gamers’ psychological states and induce addiction. To address the second research question, the second case study chosen is the Fintech Platform Company. The company has undertaken more than 100 systems development projects for multiple resource-constrained client companies that are likely to accrue digital debt. The study provides a theoretical framework of how digital debt is accrued as a result of systems development. Findings show that digital debt has negative organizational implications that not only influence individuals, but also the entire organization and a number of stakeholders. Finally, to address the third research question, the third case study chosen is the Yokayoka Hikikomori Support Center. Based in the city of Fukuoka, this is one of the most successful Hikikomori treatment centers in Japan, using a variety of different treatment alternatives, both online and offline. The study suggests a theoretical framework of how IT contributes to Hikikomori development, a recognized mental disorder that manifests as a state of acute social withdrawal. Based on its findings, this study adopts a technology affordances and constraints perspective of the phenomenon to shed light on how IT induces the pathological behaviors associated with this recognized mental disorder, and thus may serve as a crucial first step toward its treatment. Taken together, by addressing the research questions, these findings make several important theoretical contributions to the dark side of IT literature: 1) challenge the existing knowledge in this area, particularly knowledge centered on perspectives at an individual level in a work context by providing three empirically grounded theoretical frameworks that help address the lack of empirical studies on the roles of IT from the dark side research in a hedonic context, and at organizational and societal levels; 2) explore three aspects of negative outcomes on individuals, organizations, and societies; and 3) challenge the dominant position of existing studies by providing empirical evidence of a process perspective on how the use of IT can result in negative outcomes by constructing detailed theoretical frameworks that identify the mechanisms used to illustrate the dark side at different levels of analysis. Beyond its theoretical implications, this thesis also makes a number of contributions to practice: 1) serves as a detailed roadmap for practitioners through which to understand how the mechanisms work, and consequently to identify effective and appropriate interventions to dull the negative impacts on individuals in a hedonic context; 2) provides a comprehensive and empirically supported framework for practitioners who face difficulty in understanding and managing adverse impacts on organizations so as to use the theoretical framework as a detailed blueprint to assess and identify appropriate remedial actions; and 3) provides a detailed roadmap for practitioners who seek to understand the contributions of IT on negative social outcomes so as to design effective treatments and interventions and address the adverse social consequences.