Expanded View of Non-nativeness in Cyber Risk Perception

Smeal, W., Camp, L. J. and Păunescu, M. 2026. Expanded View of Non-nativeness in Cyber Risk Perception. Computers and Society Research Journal (2026), 1 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54822/OSZH4063

Abstract

With the wider integration of the Internet outside of Western countries, questions have arisen about the role of language in social engineering and trust. Early phishing attacks targeted English-speaking victims largely in the United States. Even now, some of the most available, widely used, and well-documented indicators of cyber risks stem from exemplars of American nineties phishing scams. Perhaps the most indicative of the user-facing characteristics are related to writing style and usage, particularly those associated with non-native speakers. The Internet has also had a profound effect on non-Western literary practices as the Internet infrastructure (e.g., domain names, programming languages) is grounded in the Latin alphabet. For most of the world’s population, this has necessitated the adoption of non-native writing styles. For any communities that do not use Latin script, non-native writing practices are an integral part of simply using the Internet. Yet risk perception in these linguistic communities has not been widely explored. In this work, we gauge the effects varying degrees of non-native style and usage have amongst Eastern Europeans and their intuitions about cyber risks. The results of this study can contribute to a more holistic analysis of risk perception, one that includes diverse linguistic and cultural perceptions of risk and trustworthiness in digital communication.

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The full article can be downloaded here: Smeal2026-nonnativeness-risk perception-final

How to cite this article

@article{Smeal26, 
title={Expanded View of Non-nativeness in Cyber Risk Perception}, 
author={Smeal, W., Camp, L. J. and Păunescu, M}, 
journal={Computers and Society Research Journal}, 
number={1}, 
year={2026},
note = {\url{https://doi.org/10.54822/OSZH4063}}
}

It should look similar to this, depending on your template:

Smeal, Camp and Păunescu – Expanded View of Non-nativeness in Cyber Risk Perception, Computers and Society Research Journal (2026), 1, https://doi.org/10.54822/OSZH4063