Annotated Bibliography on Social Science and Cybersecurity
The present annotated bibliography aims to highlight various peer-reviewed articles
published in the last few years that discuss different aspects of social science and cybersecurity.
Dwyer et al. (2022) explore the shift in a critical cybersecurity perspective seeking to advance
social justice to counter cyber threats. Medoh and Telukdarie (2022) employ System Dynamics
Modelling to reflect on the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on cybersecurity. In the
work of Wu et al. (2022), the authors focus on social cybersecurity and the necessity of
incorporating social factors into technical security frameworks. Last, Popoola et al. (2024) focus
on the difference between cybersecurity awareness and training programs in Africa and the USA
and discuss the impact of the cultural and economic disparity between these regions. Altogether,
the presented articles cover key issues and approaches to cybersecurity in the context of social
sciences in the present day.
Dwyer, A. C., Stevens, C., Muller, L. P., Cavelty, M. D., Coles-Kemp, L., & Thornton, P. (2022).
What can a critical cybersecurity do? International Political Sociology, 16(3), olac013.
This article compares a critical approach to cybersecurity and the effects that will ensue
from its application. Closely, it analyses what the traditional approaches to cybersecurity
strengthen the power imbalance and what other strategies can be applied instead.
Highlighting the individual’s and society’s vulnerability in most cybersecurity studies, the
authors appeal for a more rigorous and diverse cybersecurity investigation within societies’
political processes. They stress the need to embrace social justice in cybersecurity,
considering the statistical nature of threats and responses. This work is essential due to its
paradigm shift regarding cyber security. Thus, it is a vital reference source, especially for
scholars and practitioners interested in the broader security perspective.
3
Medoh, C., & Telukdarie, A. (2022). The future of cybersecurity: A system dynamics
approach. Procedia Computer Science, 200, 318-326.
This article, presented at the 3rd International Conference on Industry 4.0 and Smart
Manufacturing, discusses the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on cyber
security. Medoh and Telukdarie use System Dynamics Modelling (SDM) to model the
impact of cybersecurity activities in network and security solution markets. It compiles and
evaluates the inputs from the industry participants involved in the study and incorporates
such into a living model that supports tactical and strategic planning and execution to
counter the risks posed by cybersecurity threats. The study also reinforces the necessity of
implementing new technologies for protecting corporate assets, including big data and
cloud computing, for sustainable development in digitalization.
Wu, Y., Edwards, W. K., & Das, S. (2022, May). SoK: Social Cybersecurity. In 2022 IEEE
Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP) (pp. 1863-1879). IEEE.
This systematization of knowledge article analyzes prior work in social cybersecurity
across four key behavior domains: gaining entrance control to resources, shared and social
authentication, self-presentation, and socialization of security and privacy concerns. The
authors categorize the literature into four levels of social distance intimacy: intimate,
personal, social, and public. They also establish that the desired practices differ with this
structure. They pinpoint a social-technical chasm where none of the security and privacy
models consider social aspects, compelling users to employ reasonable best practices/
security-based privacy and minimum social friction. The article lays down the course for
research that centers on developing social cybersecurity systems that would incorporate the
technical goals into societal needs.
4
Popoola, O. A., Akinsanya, M. O., Nzeako, G., Chukwurah, E. G., & Okeke, C. D. (2024).
Exploring theoretical constructs of cybersecurity awareness and training programs:
comparative analysis of African and US Initiatives. International Journal of Applied
Research in Social Sciences, 6(5), 819-827.
This journal article offers a comprehensive comparative literature reflection of the
conceptual framework of cybersecurity awareness and training in Africa and the USA. The
authors explore how they are modified within cultural and economic differences of the two
regions to each of the theories of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Sustaining
focus on the overview of the discrepancies in the program design, delivery, and results, the
article provides significant insights for the authorities and everyone who aims at improving
the effectiveness of the global cybersecurity education programs. The study provides a
strong foundation for making context-specific, place-oriented decisions while
simultaneously stressing cross-portal cooperation in the fight against emerging cyber
threats.
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References
Dwyer, A. C., Stevens, C., Muller, L. P., Cavelty, M. D., Coles-Kemp, L., & Thornton, P. (2022).
What can a critical cybersecurity do? International Political Sociology, 16(3), olac013.
Medoh, C., & Telukdarie, A. (2022). The future of cybersecurity: A system dynamics
approach. Procedia Computer Science, 200, 318-326.
Popoola, O. A., Akinsanya, M. O., Nzeako, G., Chukwurah, E. G., & Okeke, C. D. (2024).
Exploring theoretical constructs of cybersecurity awareness and training programs:
comparative analysis of African and US Initiatives. International Journal of Applied
Research in Social Sciences, 6(5), 819-827.
Wu, Y., Edwards, W. K., & Das, S. (2022, May). SoK: Social Cybersecurity. In 2022 IEEE