Abstract
Online transactions expose users to numerous risks, including identity theft and digital financial fraud. Many individuals fall victim to deceptive links shared through emails, text messages and social media platforms. Despite widespread warnings about the dangers of engaging with such links, user compliance remains low. This study aims to explore the underlying reason why users disregard these cautionary messages, with a focus on the influence that message framing has on end users' understanding of and compliance with cybersecurity warning messages. Poorly designed messages may overwhelm end users if these messages contain technical jargon, thus distorting the intention of the message. Furthermore, this may cause misinterpretation of the message or ignoring the message entirely, which may imply message fatigue and cognitive strain. Because of message fatigue and cognitive strain, end users may disregard the warning message and may be less inclined to comply with cybersecurity warning messages or take precautionary action against such warnings. Focus is placed on analysing how message framing influence people’s responses to cybersecurity warnings and compliance with these messages as forming part of user behaviour studies in cybersecurity research, aiming to bridge this theoretical understanding with an empirical study, drawing on the Cognitive Bias Theory, The Framing Effect and Cognitive Load Theory. A quantitative positivist approach was used to gather data regarding the effectiveness of different message framing strategies, the impact cognitive load has on decision-making, and reasons why users frequently ignore cybersecurity alerts. Quantitative data were gathered from South African consumers who use online platforms to conclude transactions via an online research questionnaire. The approach taken was positivist deductive reasoning to analyse this data. SPSS software was used to complement this approach. The results show that high mental load and cognitive bias have a substantial impact on user behaviour and a decrease in compliance with cybersecurity warning messages. Gain-based and fear-based messages exhibit different degrees of effectiveness based on context and the user’s emotional state, making message framing a critical factor. According to the study, end users generally understand the risk associated with cybersecurity, but because of cognitive load and poorly worded warning messages, users don’t always follow safe online practices. Messages that are brief, relatable and emotionally compelling are more successful in changing behaviour. Additionally, the study shows that behaviour change alone has little effect on cybersecurity resilience, indicating that a combination of technological factors and user-centred communication is necessary. Practitioners should design cybersecurity warning messages that are clear and brief, actionable and devoid of technical jargon and unnecessary...