Digital Storytelling for increasing Information Security Awareness among Kenyan Smartphone Users: A Case Study of Nairobi and Eldoret

Abstract

The rapid increase of smartphone proliferation in Kenya has resulted in users being dependent on their phones for everyday activities. This increased interaction with smartphones has posed a significant threat to users’ privacy and security. The exposure to threats demonstrates a need to understand users’ security awareness and behavior when using their mobile phones. Therefore, this study sought to establish the level of security risk awareness and user behaviour among smartphone users in Kenya, in order to design a customized security awareness model with the aim of reducing information security risks. The specific objectives include: to investigate information security-related behavior among Kenyan smartphone users, and to design and evaluate the effectiveness of a digital storytelling model in increasing information security awareness among smartphone users. The investigation was informed by the Protection motivation theory and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. The study adopted a quantitative approach and used experimental research design in two phases of the study. The study population of the study included smartphone users in the cities of Nairobi and Eldoret. Simple random sampling was adopted to select a sample of 393 smartphone users in the first phase, and 277 smartphone users in the second phase. The main research instrument for the study was a questionnaire. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The results showed that most Kenyan Smartphone users are aware of security threats facing them and are greatly concerned about related security risks. However, users still make poor behavioral choices related to the use of smartphones, making them vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. One of the poorly adhered to security practices among participants was the use of public Wi-Fi. Consequently, this research uses a digital storytelling information security model to design a media that seeks to increase awareness on the use of public Wi-Fi among Kenyan smartphone users. The prototype was tested among 277 Kenyan smartphone users. The results indicate that digital storytelling was highly effective among an average of 65% of the participants in increasing the understanding of risks and secure behavior related to the use of public Wi-Fi. Further, the outcome indicates that an average of 70% of the participants had a high likelihood of adapting behavior that increases their security when using public Wi-Fi. Thus, the study concluded that digital storytelling is an effective method for increasing information security awareness among smartphone users. Based on these findings, the study recommended that a digital storytelling model approach can be adopted by smartphone manufactures, telecommunication companies, and information security organizations to promote behavior that will safeguard the privacy and security of end-users who utilize communication devices. In addition, the study recommended that information service providers and security agencies should include user needs and feedback when designing security awareness media; smartphone users should always practice secure behavior; and mobile applications should be regulated, and apps be ranked based on user security. In addition, software developers should develop more applications where by default the user data is protected.