Trust issues: Users more gullible when they customize their technology

According to research, if you are someone who customizes or decorates your pages to project your identity, then you are more willing to buy into anything that comes into that space. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Technology may have helped turn users into their own information gatekeepers, but they may not necessarily make better, more informed decisions with that data, according to researchers. In a study, users who customized an online news portal based on their personal interests were less systematic in processing the information on that portal compared to those who modified the site as directed by the researchers, according to S. Shyam Sundar , Distinguished Professor of and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory. "What this suggests is that if you're not someone who tinkers with the settings of your social media pages or the technologies that you use and, instead, just go with the default, you scrutinize the messages and advertisements carefully," said Sundar. "However, if you are someone who customizes or decorates your pages to project your identity, then you are more willing to buy into anything that comes into that space." He added that this effect may be related to the users' perception that when they customize technology tools, they transition from identifying as a consumer of the information to identifying themselves as the source of the information. This "self-as-source" perception could make them less critical of the messages, said Sundar, who worked with Hyunjin Kang, assistant professor in communication and information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.