Paper Number
1178
Paper Type
Short Paper
Abstract
Wearable information systems (WIS) promise consumers the capacity to improve their mental and physical health. However, in pursuit of greater well-being, consumers develop WIS use and behavioral response habits that range from balanced to extreme, with dual ramifications for their well-being. Therefore, this study seeks to deepen our understanding of how and why some consumers manage to sustain balanced WIS use and associated behavioral response habits, in contrast to those who persist in extreme engagement. Specifically, based on Aristotelian ethics, this study posits that consumers’ habitual use and corresponding behavioral responses cultivate virtues and vices, thereby influencing well-being. The preliminary findings using semi-structured interviews with smartwatch users indicate a general tension between the virtue of magnanimity and the vice of pusillanimity. In response, consumers report different reactions and strategies to deal with this tension. This study contributes to the nascent corpus of literature concerned with the ethical dimension of WIS.
Recommended Citation
Durani, Khalid, "Between Virtues and Vices: An Aristotelian Perspective on Wearable Information Systems" (2024). ECIS 2024 Proceedings. 17.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2024/track18_healthit/track18_healthit/17
Between Virtues and Vices: An Aristotelian Perspective on Wearable Information Systems
Wearable information systems (WIS) promise consumers the capacity to improve their mental and physical health. However, in pursuit of greater well-being, consumers develop WIS use and behavioral response habits that range from balanced to extreme, with dual ramifications for their well-being. Therefore, this study seeks to deepen our understanding of how and why some consumers manage to sustain balanced WIS use and associated behavioral response habits, in contrast to those who persist in extreme engagement. Specifically, based on Aristotelian ethics, this study posits that consumers’ habitual use and corresponding behavioral responses cultivate virtues and vices, thereby influencing well-being. The preliminary findings using semi-structured interviews with smartwatch users indicate a general tension between the virtue of magnanimity and the vice of pusillanimity. In response, consumers report different reactions and strategies to deal with this tension. This study contributes to the nascent corpus of literature concerned with the ethical dimension of WIS.
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