出版社：International Association for Computer Information Systems
摘要：This paper presents an application of the Critical Social Theory (CST) in understanding cyberspace behavior. CST can be used as a qualitative methodology in IS research. Most prior IS research utilized a very narrowly drawn insight from CST without historical and social context considered. This study tries to apply a general concept of CST for the purpose of providing a plausible explanation for cyberspace behavior. In this paper, a cyberspace behavior case of a relatively developed country where the Confucius tradition dictating people’s physical world behavior is defied in cyberspace is investigated. This case deals with unexpected ignoring of cultural protocol such as showing respect to authorities in government cyberspace. Empirical data were collected and the result shows that people were able to overcome the Confucius psychological barrier in government cyberspace. This phenomenon shows people’s ability to do critical reflection that led them to emancipation in cyberspace. This paper shows that a general CST can be adopted for an IS research method tackling topics relevant to cyberspace behavior.
关键词：critical social theory; cyber-democracy; IS research method; cyberspace behavior
