RIP: the use of inoculation theory and online social networking for enhancing attractiveness of IT occupations

High school students do not have a clear understanding of the role of IT professionals in society. This research in progress investigates how online information sharing can inform young people more effectively about the real implications of working as an IT professional. Ultimately, this research is aimed at understanding whether or not such online information and knowledge sharing can influence attitude change towards IT occupations using inoculation methods to ultimately attract them to the field. In this paper, we discuss existing literature of IT occupations, their culture and functions, the online information and knowledge sharing through social networking, and attitude change using inoculation as a method of persuasion. We describe our current efforts to create online communities of potential newcomers and those who are already part of the occupation, followed by presentation of the type of information that is intended to be shared.