Research on the Path of Digital Hoarding Behavior among Digital Natives Based on the I-PACE Model in China

Purpose: As a significant group in information behavior in the digital age, digital natives are increasingly exhibiting digital hoarding behaviors as their utilization of digital information deepens, which even hinders the improvement of their information literacy. This paper aims to raise digital natives’ awareness of digital resource consumption, focus on high-quality digital preservation, and enhance their data literacy through the study of the paths of digital hoarding behavior. Methods: This paper collects interview data from 24 digital natives through open-ended interviews and constructs a digital hoarding behavior path model for digital natives based on the I-PACE model through three-level coding. Results: The digital hoarding behavior path model of digital natives is ultimately formed, clarifying the path performance of digital natives’ digital hoarding behavior, discussing countermeasures to escape the digital hoarding dilemma, and providing suggestions.