November 06, 2025
A plethora of economic and psychological social science theories can be applied to analyze the rhetorical situation in the data breach notification letter. Of the economic theories, Rational Choice Theory and Laissez-faire Economics can be applied. The first of which is Rational Choice Theory, which states that individuals and businesses must weigh the costs and benefits of their decisions. In the letter, the owners of Glasswasherparts.com had to make a series of rational choices. First, the platform decided to outsource their website to a third party as a cost-saving measure. However, this decision resulted in the data breach. Therefore, the owners were forced to make more rational choices. By notifying customers of the breach and by working with law enforcement and security firms, Glasswasherparts.com decided any negative consequences would be worth it in order to preserve their brand’s reputation and protect them from lawsuits. Another economic theory that can be applied is Laissez-faire economics, which advocates for minimal government intervention in the economy to make it as efficient and profitable as possible. In this case, the government’s role in the breach of Glasswasherparts.com was entirely reactive instead of preventive, as the government intervened after the crime had been committed. A stringent regulatory government framework may have prevented the breach, but the Laissez-faire economy places the responsibility of defending against crimes in the hands of the business.
On the other side of the coin, there are two psychological social science theories that can be applied to this case study. The first is social contract theory, which states that there is an implicit agreement between members of society to work together for mutual benefit. In this case, the social contract is between the customers and the company; this breach is a violation of the social contract, so the notification letter is an act of the company to uphold its end of the social contract. The second theory that can be applied is the Protection Motivation Theory, which states that a person’s intention to protect themselves is influenced by their assessment of the threat and their ability to counter it. In the latter, the company establishes the severity of the threat by stating the types of data that were accessed. To cope with the loss, the business outlines steps the customer can take, such as contacting their credit card company. Therefore, it is clear to see that you can apply a number of sociological theories to explain cybersecurity due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Theories make it easier for scientists to understand and explain phenomena, so it’s important that they can be applied to the field of cybersecurity.