Paper Type
ERF
Abstract
Cybersecurity governance involves persistent misalignments between operational accountability and strategic authority, yet how these roles are symbolically constructed through visual discourse remains unexplored. This study examines how cybersecurity editorial cartoons function as sensegiving artifacts shaping organizational perceptions of information technology (IT) security teams. Drawing on sensemaking theory and IT governance research, we apply Panofsky's iconological framework to analyze twelve cartoons published by Cybersecurity Ventures between 2021 and 2025. The study aims to extend sensemaking theory into the visual domain, illuminate governance asymmetry, and demonstrate the value of iconological analysis for IS research.
Paper Number
1874
Recommended Citation
Kouyo, Guy Alain Sylvanus; Nishant, Rohit; and Khechine, Hager, "Between Expertise and Vulnerability: The Visual Construction of IT Security Roles in Cybersecurity Governance" (2026). AMCIS 2026 Proceedings. 42.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2026/sig_sec/sig_sec/42
Between Expertise and Vulnerability: The Visual Construction of IT Security Roles in Cybersecurity Governance
Cybersecurity governance involves persistent misalignments between operational accountability and strategic authority, yet how these roles are symbolically constructed through visual discourse remains unexplored. This study examines how cybersecurity editorial cartoons function as sensegiving artifacts shaping organizational perceptions of information technology (IT) security teams. Drawing on sensemaking theory and IT governance research, we apply Panofsky's iconological framework to analyze twelve cartoons published by Cybersecurity Ventures between 2021 and 2025. The study aims to extend sensemaking theory into the visual domain, illuminate governance asymmetry, and demonstrate the value of iconological analysis for IS research.
Comments
SIG SEC