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Sustainability
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Digital Consumption, Privacy Issues and Sustainability
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Digital Consumption, Privacy Issues and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2022) | Viewed by 7472

Special Issue Editors

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lucia Porcu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marketing and Market Research, Universidad de Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
Interests: integrated marketing communications; e-WOM; customer brand engagement; omnichannel communication; digital consumption
Dr. Nuria Rodríguez-Priego

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economic Analysis, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
Interests: consumer behavior; digital consumption; privacy; cibersecurity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The widespread use of the Internet and smartphones is prompting citizens to participate in a consumer revolution and to lay the foundations for the proliferation of online stores. These changes in demand make it possible to consume goods and services at any time and from anywhere, which has an impact on the possibilities of consumption. The development of faster Internet connections and online payment methods is influencing the acceptance of technology and the expansion of electronic commerce. Consumers can buy products and services with a low effort and establish commercial relationships with suppliers that are at a considerable distance. This has potential benefits for consumers as it increases the availability of products and services, but it also has some drawbacks. For example, when personal and financial information is shared with the online store, this can influence privacy concerns regarding the use and storage of confidential and potentially sensitive data, among other privacy issues. Likewise, it can raise some environmental concerns, such as the transport and logistics direct consequences of the acquired goods, questioning the sustainability of online consumption.

From a company point of view, digitization has lowered entry barriers to various markets, leading to increased competition and potential effects on prices. On the other hand, traditional companies have been forced to redirect their way of operating to adapt to the digital market. At the same time, the consumer is more integrated into the production process, since it is easier for the company to know their preferences, detect new market segments, and choose the right pricing strategy.

In this context, this Special Issue aims to identify digital consumption, privacy issues challenges, and related emergent questions from varied approaches.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lucia Porcu
Dr. Nuria Rodríguez-Priego
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • digital consumption
  • privacy
  • sustainable online consumption
  • digital behavior

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 4042 KiB  
Article
Identifying the Spatiotemporal Differences and Driving Forces of Residents’ Consumption at the Provincial Level in the Context of the Digital Economy
by Qing Wei, Chuansheng Wang, Cuiyou Yao, Dong Wang and Zhihua Sun
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14227; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142114227 - 31 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1179
Abstract
The digital economy has become a new form of the economy. Based on data from the China Year Book from 2012 to 2020, this paper characterizes China’s spatial differences in regional consumption expenditure in the context of the digital economy. We utilize the [...] Read more.
The digital economy has become a new form of the economy. Based on data from the China Year Book from 2012 to 2020, this paper characterizes China’s spatial differences in regional consumption expenditure in the context of the digital economy. We utilize the GIS spatial analysis technique, ESDA, Geodetector, and other spatial econometric tools to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution patterns and driving mechanism of residents’ consumption development in the context of the digital economy for 31 provinces in China and propose differentiated policy suggestions for residents’ consumption development against the background of the digital economy in China, creating a reference for decision making on residents’ consumption in China. The findings show that, first, provincial residents’ consumption expenditures appear to decrease on a gradient from eastern to central and western China, showing extreme polarization and spatial aggregation. Second, the power of the seven driving factors of residents’ consumption varies widely across time; the driving factors representing the digital economy can reduce the regional differences in residents’ consumption. On the other hand, non-digital economic factors increase the spatial difference. Third, two digital economic factors play the most important roles in the interaction effect in most years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Consumption, Privacy Issues and Sustainability)
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16 pages, 317 KiB  
Article
Examining Compliance with Personal Data Protection Regulations in Interorganizational Data Analysis
by Szu-Chuang Li, Yi-Wen Chen and Yennun Huang
Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11459; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132011459 - 16 Oct 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2619
Abstract
The development of big data analysis technologies has changed how organizations work. Tech giants, such as Google and Facebook, are well positioned because they possess not only big data sets but also the in-house capability to analyze them. For small and medium-sized enterprises [...] Read more.
The development of big data analysis technologies has changed how organizations work. Tech giants, such as Google and Facebook, are well positioned because they possess not only big data sets but also the in-house capability to analyze them. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have limited resources, capacity, and a relatively small collection of data, the ability to conduct data analysis collaboratively is key. Personal data protection regulations have become stricter due to incidents of private data being leaked, making it more difficult for SMEs to perform interorganizational data analysis. This problem can be resolved by anonymizing the data such that reidentifying an individual is no longer a concern or by deploying technical procedures that enable interorganizational data analysis without the exchange of actual data, such as data deidentification, data synthesis, and federated learning. Herein, we compared the technical options and their compliance with personal data protection regulations from several countries and regions. Using the EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) as the main point of reference, technical studies, legislative studies, related regulations, and government-sponsored reports from various countries and regions were also reviewed. Alignment of the technical description with the government regulations and guidelines revealed that the solutions are compliant with the personal data protection regulations. Current regulations require “reasonable” privacy preservation efforts from data controllers; potential attackers are not assumed to be experts with knowledge of the target data set. This means that relevant requirements can be fulfilled without considerably sacrificing data utility. However, the potential existence of an extremely knowledgeable adversary when the stakes of data leakage are high still needs to be considered carefully. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Consumption, Privacy Issues and Sustainability)
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16 pages, 1802 KiB  
Article
Developing and Validating a Behavioural Model of Cyberinsurance Adoption
by Dawn Branley-Bell, Yolanda Gómez, Lynne Coventry, José Vila and Pam Briggs
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9528; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179528 - 24 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2700
Abstract
Business disruption from cyberattacks is a growing concern, yet cyberinsurance uptake remains low. Using an online behavioural economics experiment with 4800 participants across four EU countries, this study tests a predictive model of cyberinsurance adoption, incorporating elements of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and [...] Read more.
Business disruption from cyberattacks is a growing concern, yet cyberinsurance uptake remains low. Using an online behavioural economics experiment with 4800 participants across four EU countries, this study tests a predictive model of cyberinsurance adoption, incorporating elements of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as well as factors in relation to risk propensity and price. During the experiment, participants were given the opportunity to purchase different cybersecurity measures and cyberinsurance products before performing an online task. Participants likelihood of suffering a cyberattack was dependent upon their adoption of cybersecurity measures and their behaviour during the online task. The consequences of any attack were dependent upon the participants insurance decisions. Structural equation modelling was applied and the model was further developed to include elements of the wider security ecosystem. The final model shows that all TPB factors, and response efficacy from the PMT, positively predicted adoption of premium cyberinsurance. Interestingly, adoption of cybersecurity measures was associated with safer behaviour online, contrary to concerns of “moral hazard”. The findings highlight the need to consider the larger cybersecurity ecosystem when designing interventions to increase adoption of cyberinsurance and/or promote more secure online behaviour. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Consumption, Privacy Issues and Sustainability)
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