Role of Information Needs, Information Accessibility, Information Overload and Digital Literacy in Shaping Web Search Self-Efficacy

The present research investigates information needs assessment, perceived information accessibility, information overload, and electronic information literacy as antecedents to web search self-efficacy of organizational employees. It seeks to present a detailed picture of the psychological and informational factors that affect employees' self-assurance in web searching digital information environments. A quantitative method was employed, utilising data from 244 workers across various organisations. Highly reliable measurement scales from prior literature were used in measuring five primary constructs. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was executed with the help of STATA to test the measurement and structural models, measure relationships, and verify the significance of every hypothesised path. The results indicate that both information needs assessment and perceived information accessibility significantly influence web search self-efficacy. Further, information overload was found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between perceived information accessibility and web search self-efficacy. In contrast, electronic information literacy enhanced the relationship between information needs assessment and self-efficacy significantly. All the hypotheses put forward were statistically confirmed, emphasising the intricate but interrelated routes via which digital competence and information quality influence individual web-based information task confidence. This study enriches theoretical models of digital behaviour by incorporating cognitive overload and literacy mechanisms, and provides practical implications for designing interventions to develop employees' digital search competence.