Factors Affecting Immoral Behaviors in Social Networks based on Planned Behavior Model

The proliferation of social networks and their many capabilities has become a double-edged sword that people use both morally and immorally. The purpose of this study is to find the important factors affecting the moral decisions of individuals, which is based on the theory of planned behavior (Theory of Planned Behavior). For this purpose, four different scenarios have been designed that have been used in the final questionnaire to examine the impact of different factors on the moral or immoral behavior of individuals. A total of 660 valid answers were collected from the questionnaires, which were analyzed through the partial least squares’ technique - structural equation modeling. The results showed that attitude is the most effective factor, followed by perceived behavioral control and mental norms of individuals as influential factors on moral decisions. Finally, the role of different scenarios as a moderator was investigated and the results showed that the intensity of the relationship between the factors identified in different scenarios is different.