Dark or bright? Unmasking the effects of machiavellianism, digital narcissism and psychopathy on digital entrepreneurship

Purpose Entrepreneurial ventures are attracting a growing number of young unemployed adults worldwide. This study explores university students' digital entrepreneurial intention (DEI). It does so by assessing the influence of the personality dark triad: machiavellianism (Mac), digital narcissism (DN) and psychopathy (Psy). It also considers digital innovative attitude (DIA) as a mediator and digital entrepreneurial alertness (DEA) as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using snowball sampling and a structured questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale. The analysis employed partial least squares structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships among dependent, independent and moderating constructs. Findings Digital narcissism has the strongest positive influence on both DIA and digital entrepreneurial intention. Psychopathy also shows a significant positive association. Notably, Machiavellianism shows a negative but statistically insignificant effect on DIA and DEI. However, DIA significantly improves DEI. DEA positively moderates the DIA–DEI link as well as creates a positive impact on DEI. Originality/value The current study significantly contributes to digital entrepreneurship literature by assessing the mediating role of DIA and the moderating role of DEA to see how the dark triad determines students' entrepreneurial inclination in the digital context. Furthermore, the outcomes offer interesting insights regarding the role of digital narcissism and psychopathy in shaping digital entrepreneurial intention among university students. Notably, these insights help policymakers, university leaders, educators, parents and students better support digital entrepreneurship in Bangladesh and beyond.