| dc.description.abstract | Nowadays, consumer data collection is crucial for companies; however, what determines the
individual’s disposition to disclose data is not well investigated. This study analyses the
willingness to disclose personal information to a website online and the variables that
influence it. Some previous research developed a model that can describe what can impact
willingness; however, several variables are not considered. In particular, this study
introduces the impact of website personality, context sensitivity and self-congruity on the
disclosure of personal information to a website.
The study first considers the previous literature to clarify the existing findings, organize the
information and outline the gap. Then 275 people are exposed to an experimental design
2x2. Four different stimuli are created, where the manipulated variables are context
sensitivity, sensitive or not, and the website personality, genuine or enthusiastic. The
participants filled out a questionnaire after being exposed to the stimulus. The data collected
are then analysed to get new insights and test the hypotheses.
The results show that a sensitive context and a genuine website increase the individual
disposition to disclose personal information to a website online. Moreover, self-congruity
increases the willingness to disclose personal information online when the website operates
in a non-sensitive context. However, there is no interaction between the website personality
and the context sensitivity, meaning that different contexts do not require certain websites,
reinforcing the differentiating role of website personality. | en_US |
