I extended and adapted the current technology acceptance models and privacy research to the peculiar context of the COVID-19 pandemic to ascertain the effective "power" of IT in fighting such a pandemic. The research models developed for the purpose of this study contain peculiar modifications to the technological-personal-environmental (TPE) framework and privacy calculus model because of the unique technologies implemented and the peculiar pandemic scenario. I developed three studies that investigate the interaction between social, legal, and technical factors that affect the adoption of IoT devices and blockchain systems implemented to fight the spread of COVID-19. Essay 1 systematically reviews existing literature on the analysis of the social, legal, and technical components in addressing phenomena related to IoT architecture and blockchain technology. The employment of a comparable coding method allows finding which of the above components is prominent in relation to the study of IoT and blockchain. Essay 2 develops a technological acceptance model by integrating the TPE framework with new constructs, i.e., regulatory environment, epidemic ecosystem, pre-epidemic ecosystem, perceived social usefulness, and technical characteristics. Essay 3 further explores the interplay between social, legal, and technical factors toward the adoption of smart contracts in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Essay 3 integrates the privacy calculus model by introducing new constructs, i.e., technical characteristics, regulatory environment, and perceived social benefits. For both Essays 2 and 3, research surveys were developed and distributed to undergraduate and graduate students in a major university located in the US. The research hypotheses were tested using partial least square modeling.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1944292 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Guerra, Katia |
| Contributors | Koh, Chang, Prybutok, Victor R., Johnson, Vess |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Guerra, Katia, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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