Conceptualizing personal web usage in work contexts: A preliminary framework

As the internet became the primary method of task-related communication within organizations, a social phenomenon was born: internet users going online for non-work-related purposes when supposedly working. However, there is little consensus on how to conceptualize this broad range of phenomena. Not only do many conceptual terms exist in the literature without clear distinctions, but also the degree to which specific behaviors belong under each concept remains unclear. In this article, we analyze each broad concept on specific dimensions found in the literature, including formal definitions, causes, and outcomes. We then provide a typology integrating this knowledge. Based on an empirical investigation of this typology, an initial framework of personal web usage in work contexts is proposed.

► We investigate non-work-related internet usage in work contexts.
► Personal web usage (PWU) is an umbrella concept of this social phenomenon.
► PWU, cyberloafing, and non-work-related computing are relatively positive concepts.
► We develop three types of internet deviant behavior scales.
► We construct a framework of personal web usage in work contexts.