Influence of Information Overload on IT Security Behavior: A Theoretical Framework

IT systems in organizational processes demand high level of security. The operational security of IT systems depends on end-user IT security behavior. The apparent importance of IT security requires that the end-users process and act on a multitude of IT security information and updates. Information overload (also known as infobesity, data smog etc.), in its manifest combinatorial forms of sensory, cognitive and communication overloads, impact the quality, speed and efficacy of decisions (Rogers, Puryear and Root, 2013). This research attempts to analyze similar impact of plausible IT security information overload on the IT security behavior of organizational end-users. A hierarchical model of the impact of information overload on organizational end-users' IT security behavior is proposed here. This research extends the literature of information overload in the area of information security and creates a framework for empirical validation of the theoretical underpinnings in the emerging area.