Jason Hong, Sauvik Das, Tiffany Hyun-Jin Kim, and Laura Dabbish

Human Computer Interaction Consortium

June 2015

While there are certainly cases where new theories are needed, we have not yet taken full advantage of existing theories. As one example, our team has recently been taking a strong theory-driven approach in looking at how to apply ideas from social psychology to improve cybersecurity. Past research investigating the human side of cybersecurity has treated people as isolated individuals rather than as social actors acting within a web of social influence. In our research we are (a) investigating how social influence can and does affect cybersecurity, and (b) developing and evaluating novel social influence techniques to improve people’s awareness and knowledge of cybersecurity, as well as motivation to act securely. We use our experiences as a lens for discussing the ongoing role of theory in HCI.

security, social cybersecurity, usable privacy and security