Technology paternalism and smart products: Review, synthesis, and research agenda

Technology paternalism: Development and validation of a measurement scale

“…Drawing on the work of Spiekermann and Pallas (2006), we define TP as the autonomous action of a technology claimed to be in the user's interest, directly affecting them, perceived as limiting freedom, and not overrulable without sacrificing functionality. Note that other definitions include autonomy as a dimension of TP (e.g., Spiekermann & Pallas, 2006), but we consider "product autonomy" as a prerequisite of TP (Rochi, 2023), since intelligent technologies by definition act autonomously or independently (Raff et al, 2020)…”

“…Smart products may diminish our autonomy competencies, making us more vulnerable (Formosa, 2021). According to Rochi (2023), TP may cause users to perceive a loss of freedom or a threat to a certain behavior, which leads to an attempt to restore behavioral freedom (e.g., developing product resistance). This phenomenon is also known as reactance (Miron & Brehm, 2006).…”

“…If users can reverse the decision and regain freedom, they may do so. In cases where regaining freedom is not possible (e.g., due to required programming knowledge or default settings), this may result in a changed product evaluation, leading to a lower adoption intention or stronger resistance (Rochi, 2023).…”

“…The perception of TP emerges from consumer-smart-technology interaction (Rochi, 2023). As this perception is dependent on user and technology characteristics, we propose technology autonomy as an antecedent of TP.…”

“…TP is a largely overlooked area in acceptance and resistance research, lacking empirical evidence and primarily existing as anecdotal or conceptual insights. Notably, only a few scholars (Hilty, 2015;Kinder et al, 2008;Rochi, 2023;Spiekermann & Pallas, 2006) have delved into TP in significant detail. Comprehending TP is vital for understanding how consumers perceive technologies designed to protect or care for their users.…”