Examining mobile instant messaging user loyalty from the perspectives of network externalities and flow experience

Due to the intense competition and low switching cost, building user loyalty is critical for mobile instant messaging (IM) service providers. Integrating both perspectives of network externalities and flow experience, this research identified the factors affecting mobile IM user loyalty. Network externalities include referent network size and perceived complementarity. Flow experience includes perceived enjoyment and attention focus. We conducted data analysis with structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that both network externalities and flow experience significantly affect perceived usefulness and satisfaction, further determining user loyalty. Thus mobile service providers need to improve their IM platforms, and deliver positive network externalities and good usage experience to users. Then they can facilitate users’ loyalty.     

Influencing factors of mobile instant messaging applications between single- and multi- platform use cases

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the usage intention for different instant messaging application platforms. This study targeted the widespread instant messaging software LINE, for which a survey of 485 valid respondents was conducted in Taiwan. Statistical and model structure analyses were applied to validate the hypotheses proposed in this study. We examined the differences between single- and multi-platform use cases in terms of the relationship between consumer value and behavioral intention. The results show that perceived interactivity, perceived playfulness, and perceived usefulness have significant effects on the continued usage and recommendation intentions of users in a single-platform use case. However, perceived interactivity and perceived playfulness did not have significant effects in multi-platform use cases. The findings of this study provide a new perspective for investigating the intention to continue using a multiplatform application. The results will benefit subsequent studies in this area and provide guidance for the development of instant messaging and other social media applications.     

Investigating factors affecting social presence and user satisfaction with Mobile Instant Messaging

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence social presence and user satisfaction with Mobile Instant Messaging (mIM). The proposed research model integrates channel expansion, social influence, social presence and media richness theories, to explain how user experience, social influence, and medium richness influence social presence and user satisfaction with mIM. A total of 239 students from a state university in the US participated in this study. Data was collected via a web-based survey. The results suggest that user experience, social influence, and perceived richness are important drivers for social presence and user satisfaction in mIM. The implications of the study findings are discussed in the paper.     

Exploring the potential effects of emoticons

Instant messaging (IM) has shown signs of becoming one of the main stream communication applications for users, like e-mail. Many people maintain constant contacts with multiple friends and relations via IM simultaneously whenever they are online, whether working on other applications or not. In addition to allowing instant exchange of text information, a unique feature of IM is its use of graphical icons that express emotions, known as emotional icons or emoticons. We explored their potential effects. Our model, based on prior theory and research, was tested using data collected from student users; it was analyzed to reveal potential effects of emoticons on various factors related to the use of IM. Our study used structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis; the results showed that the user of emoticons felt a positive effect on enjoyment, personal interaction, perceived information richness, and perceived usefulness. Our results suggested, however, that emoticons were not just enjoyable to use, but also a valuable addition to communication methods.     

The roles of media capabilities of smartphone-based SNS in developing social capital

Smartphone-based social networking service (SNS) is widely used as a key social platform that promotes users to build and maintain interpersonal relationships. However, little is known about the main characteristics of smartphone-based SNS that strengthen social relationships. By combining studies of mediated-communication namely, media richness and social presence with the social capital theory, this study proposes that the advanced media capabilities of smartphone-based SNS enable users to develop bridging and bonding social capital. Moreover, the study suggests that advanced media richness increases social presence referring to the feeling of being connected with others in virtual environments. As a key outcome of social capital in the context of smartphone-based SNS use, user satisfaction is considered. The results indicate that first, media richness and social presence, which represent media capabilities of smartphone-based SNS, greatly increase bridging and bonding social capital. Second, media richness enhances social presence in the context of smartphone-based SNS use. Finally, bridging and bonding social capital are key determinants of user satisfaction with smartphone-based SNS. Discussion and implications on the results are presented.     

A cross-country analysis of the determinants of customer recommendation intentions for over-the-top (OTT) platforms

Using data from India and the USA, this research expands the expectation–confirmation model (ECM) to include constructs like neutral confirmation, customer-to-customer (C2C) interactions and perceived content quality as antecedents to perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, user satisfaction, continuance, and recommendation intentions. Across both countries, except for the influence of C2C interactions on perceived enjoyment and of perceived usefulness on recommendation intentions, the remaining hypotheses are supported. There are cross-country differences in the magnitude of the paths from neutral confirmation and C2C interactions to perceived usefulness, and of paths from perceived enjoyment and satisfaction to continuance intentions.     

Determinants of emoticon usage in mobile instant messaging: a construal level theory perspective

Mobile instant messaging is experiencing immense growth, and using emoticons has become a prevalent and highly popular means of communication. The small digital images are ubiquitous, from smartphone applications to social media, and people delight in sending them. Drawing from construal level theory, the aim of this research is to examine the underlying mechanism that drives the usage of emoticons and its usage enjoyment. People with experience using mobile instant messaging were recruited to participate in an online survey, resulting in 202 usable questionnaires. The research model was tested empirically. Covariance-based structural equation modelling was used to analyze the data. The findings highlight that the determinants of individual’s emoticon usage are driven by a dual-route path. One is the self-concept route, where self-image congruity between emoticons and individuals drives psychological ownership, which in turn influences word of mouth (WOM) intention and perceived enjoyment of emoticon use. The other is the utility route, driven by emoticons’ familiarity and perceived synchronicity. The findings reveal the importance of emoticon usage through a contextual lens that shows that a dual-route path has a prominent impact upon these digital-based communication behaviours, which provides important managerial implications.     

Continuance usage of corporate SNS pages: A communicative ecology perspective

This study develops a research model that explains the continuance of corporate social network service (SNS) pages. In order to find antecedents that influence end users’ continuance intention, this study adopts communicative ecology theory from media and communication studies. Results indicate that the quality of social interaction is the most salient feature, as indicated by the fact that it has the highest impact on perceived usefulness and enjoyment. Moreover, content quality also increases both perceived usefulness and enjoyment, while SNS platform quality and service quality increase perceived usefulness only. In addition, perceived network size moderates the impact of social interaction quality on perceived enjoyment.     

Enjoyment fosters media use frequency and determines its relational outcomes: Toward a synthesis of uses and gratifications theory and media multiplexity theory

Previous work has begun to incorporate psychological constructs into our understanding of media multiplexity (i.e., use of multiple media in a single interpersonal relationship). Following this approach, this investigation examined how a user's enjoyment of a communication medium might both predict medium use frequency and alter the extent to which closeness is an outcome of such use. Results supported this model across six popular interpersonal communication media (voice telephone, text messaging, e-mail, instant messaging, video chat, and social networking sites) in relationships with extended family members. Specifically, at low levels of medium enjoyment, use of a medium was not associated with relational closeness. Practically, these results suggest that communicating via an unsatisfying medium may not foster relational closeness; theoretically, these results argue for including psychological processes to strengthen MMT as a theory of interpersonal media choice.     

Designing electronic feedback – Analyzing the effects of social presence on perceived feedback usefulness

Feedback interventions, i.e. actions taken by (an) external agent(s) to provide information regarding one׳s task performance, are an important element in motivating and raising performance. Especially the perceived feedback usefulness determines its positive effects. In today׳s digitalized world, feedback is more often given electronically, i.e. computer-mediated or even automated by computer systems. Those feedback interventions׳ effect on perceptions resulting from the difference of communication media is essentially considered by the concept of social presence. However, information systems (IS) research lacks a structured evaluation of possible design choices of feedback media, their influence on the social presence and subsequent effect on the perceived feedback usefulness. To close this research gap, we conduct a laboratory experiment with 43 participants in which we analyze six different design choices for feedback media. We applied a 2×3 experimental design covering the feedback source (human, non-human feedback) and media richness (text, audio, and video). We show that social presence directly and mediated by the perceived trustworthiness of feedback on simple IT-based tasks impacts perceived feedback usefulness. Our study concludes by outlining opportunities for future research and practical implications for human and non-human (i.e. automated) feedback.     

Continuance intention of blog users: the impact of perceived enjoyment,habit, user involvement and blogging time

The purpose of this study is to understand factors that affect continuance intention of a popular hedonic information system, blogs. The expectation-confirmation theory (ECT) is adapted with perceived enjoyment, habit and user involvement. Data was collected via an online survey. A total of 430 valid responses were collected. The research model was assessed by structural equation modelling (SEM). The results show that continuance intention of blog use was predicted collectively by user involvement, satisfaction and perceived enjoyment. Habit, however, exhibited no strong relationship with satisfaction and use intention. Users' satisfaction with blog use was predicted primarily by perceived enjoyment, followed by users' confirmation of expectation and user involvement. Perceived enjoyment was predicted by users' involvement and users' confirmation of expectation. Blogging time significantly moderates the effect of habit on perceived enjoyment, but not on satisfaction and continuance intention. The integrated model explains 65% of the satisfaction and 57% of continuance intention. The results suggest that integrating perceived enjoyment and user involvement into the ECT provides better insights into continuous use in the blog context.     

Understanding the role of an IT artifact in online service continuance: An extended perspective of user satisfaction

Given increasing investment in an IT (information technology) artifact (i.e., online service website), it is becoming important to retain existing customers. In order to help link website design and investment decisions to the strategy for retaining customers, we propose a model by extending the user satisfaction perspective into research on online service continuance. We empirically tested the model within the context of a social network service. The analysis results found that website information satisfaction and system satisfaction play key roles in forming continuance intention through perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. It is also noted that computer anxiety serves as an important moderator toward continuance intention. Theoretical and practical implications are offered for better understanding of the role of the IT artifact in online service post-adoption phenomena.     

Exploring Factors Affecting the Adoption of Internet of Things Services

The Internet of things (IoT) is seen as a potentially effective means of integrating multiple technologies to improve the quality of life. However, little attention has been paid to factors that may have a significant effect on a user’s intention to use the IoT services. This study applies the value-based adoption model to examine the influences of benefits (i.e. perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment) and sacrifices (i.e. perceived privacy risk and perceived costs) on the user’s perceived value of and intention to use the IoT services. A structural equation modeling approach is applied to a survey of 489 IoT users, with results indicating that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment significantly affect behavioral intention through perceived value. Moreover, perceived privacy risk also plays a key factor in determining IoT adoption. The implications of this study are discussed.     

User acceptance of YouTube for procedural learning: An extension of the Technology Acceptance Model

The present study was framed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to identify determinants affecting behavioral intention to use YouTube. Most importantly, this research emphasizes the motives for using YouTube, which is notable given its extrinsic task goal of being used for procedural learning tasks. Our conceptual framework included two proximal antecedents of behavioral intention as proposed by the TAM – perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Additionally, the four first-order constructs of user satisfaction, content richness, vividness, and YouTube self-efficacy, as well as one second-order construct of content richness, were additionally incorporated into the framework by elaborating the theoretical structure. Sample data was collected from 432 respondents who were given the opportunity to engage in procedural learning through YouTube in a lab setting. The results derived from fitting the structural equation model on the sample indicated that behavioral intention was significantly influenced by both perceived usefulness and user satisfaction. Moreover, task-technology fit, content richness, vividness, and YouTube self-efficacy emerged as significant predictors of perceived usefulness. However, perceived ease of use was not significantly predictive of either perceived usefulness or behavioral intention. Our proposed model explained 43.8% of the variance in behavioral intention. Overall findings suggest that YouTube may augment its function as a common channel for procedural learning and instruction.     

Becoming Friends in Online Brand Communities: Evidence From China

With the aid of information technology, consumers have increasingly engaged in social interaction in online brand communities. How can these strangers make friends online? Drawing on embeddedness theory and media richness theory, we examine the antecedents and intermediate mechanisms of online friendship. We theorize that online brand community interactivity aided by instant messaging technology is the main driving force of online friendship, whereas social presence and a sense of yuan (a Chinese concept describing predetermined relations) mediate online friendship development. Online friendship in turn enhances consumer online brand community commitment. We test our conceptual model with a sample of consumers from Chinese online sporting goods forums. The results support our hypotheses and inform online brand community research and practice.     

The role of perceived enjoyment and social norm in the adoption of technology with network externalities

The emergence of highly interactive media and the increased connectivity among people call for an investigation of usage behaviour of those media. People tend to rely heavily on peer-to-peer interaction influencing the adoption of new media formats that enhance this interactivity. The first explorative phase of this research consists of interviews with experts and focus groups and builds the basis of the proposed framework and measurement model. Then, a Structural Equation Modelling approach is used to assess the relative importance and the strength between different constructs, including perceived enjoyment, social norm, usefulness, ease of use and intention to use. The results indicate that perceived enjoyment and social norm are important antecedents for the adoption of technology with network externalities.     

Perceived network externalities and communication technology acceptance

Electronic mail (e-mail) and instant messaging (IM) systems represent two communication technologies that are potentially substitutable. A unique feature of e-mail and IM is that their value to an individual user increases as the number of other people adopting the system grows. This is referred to as a positive network externality. This externality makes it difficult for consumers to switch to other systems because of the potential loss of connectivity with network members. Further, as this externality grows, it has unintended negative consequences in the form of spim and spam. Including these three network externality effects – positive, cross-impact, and negative – the present study investigates the determinants of electronic communication system use based on an extended Technology Acceptance Model. The study findings suggest that user perceptions regarding network externalities have a positive impact on use of electronic communication systems while perceptions of problems associated with unsolicited messages and perceived usefulness of alternative systems do not significantly affect system use. This study contributes to our understanding of the factors that affect use of existing and newer alternative communication technologies.     

An investigation of the impact of media capabilities and extraversion on social presence and user satisfaction

A significant body of research examines media use and user satisfaction, and these studies are mostly focused on the choice of a specific media. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of media capabilities and individual characteristics on social presence, and the subsequent impact on user satisfaction. Drawing on Media Synchronicity Theory, we propose a research model that identifies five physical media capabilities as the determinants of social presence (i.e. the degree to which individuals feel connected to others in online communities), and we then assess the effect of social presence on user satisfaction. Our results suggest that (1) certain media capabilities and (2) extraversion have a positive impact on whether individuals feel connected to others in online communities (i.e. computer-mediated communications). In addition, our moderation analysis shows that extraversion affects social presence differently across communication tasks, suggesting that social presence is a result of the dynamic interaction between media capabilities, the individual, and the task. These results should be of interest to organisations that rely upon virtual meetings to accomplish tasks, as well as to media developers who seek media capabilities that promote a feeling of connected communication between individuals in virtual space.     

Explaining Instant Messaging Continuance Intention: The Role of Personality

The Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality is widely used to predict cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors in management and psychological research. However, the FFM personality has seldom appeared in the information system (IS) research field. Devaraj, Easley, and Crant (2008 Devaraj, S., Easley, R. F. and Crant, J. M. 2008. How does personality matter? Relating the five-factor model to technology acceptance and use. Information Systems Research, 19: 93–105. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) first introduced FFM into the context of IS acceptance. This study extends to the context of IS continuance. The proposed model is developed and empirically validated using data from a field survey in order to examine how individuals' personality traits influence their IS continuance intentions. The data were collected from a public university in China via an online survey. The findings support that user satisfaction and perceived usefulness are key to continuance intention of instant messaging use. The results also support that perceived enjoyment and perceived usefulness are positively associated with user satisfaction. Perceived enjoyment is the dominant variable affecting user satisfaction with technology use. Two personality traits of the Big Five factors (i.e., Conscientiousness and Extraversion) have direct effects on perceived enjoyment, whereas the other three (i.e., Openness to Experience, Neuroticism, and Agreeableness) have no direct effects. Our study provides an important basis for better understanding how individuals' personality characteristics influence their technology continuance.     

Chat with illustration

Instant messaging service is an important aspect of social media and sprung up in last decades. Traditional instant messaging service transfers information mainly based on textual message, while the visual message is ignored to a great extent. Such instant messaging service is thus far from satisfactory in all-around information communication. In this paper, we propose a novel visual assisted instant messaging scheme named Chat with illustration (CWI), which presents users visual messages associated with textual message automatically. When users start their chat, the system first identifies meaningful keywords from dialogue content and analyzes grammatical and logical relations. Then CWI explores keyword-based image search on a hierarchically clustering image database which is built offline. Finally, according to grammatical and logical relations, CWI assembles these images properly and presents an optimal visual message. With the combination of textual and visual message, users could get a more interesting and vivid communication experience. Especially for different native language speakers, CWI can help them cross language barrier to some degree. In addition, a visual dialogue summarization is also proposed, which help users recall the past dialogue. The in-depth user studies demonstrate the effectiveness of our visual assisted instant messaging scheme.