An empirical study of the factors affecting social network service use

Social network services are emerging as a promising IT-based business, with some services already being provided commercially such as Facebook, Cyworld and Xiaonei. However, it is not yet clear which potential audience groups will be key social network service participants. Moreover, the process showing how an individual actually decides to start using a social network service may be somewhat different from current web-based community services. Hence, the aims of this paper are twofold. First, we empirically examine how individual characteristics affect actual user acceptance of social network services. To examine these individual characteristics, we apply a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to construct an amended model that focuses on three individual differences: social identity, altruism and telepresence, and one perceived construct: the perceived encouragement, imported from psychology-based research. Next, we examine if the users’ perception to see a target social network service as human relationship-oriented service or as a task-oriented service could be a moderator between perceived constructs and actual use. As a result, we discover that the perceived encouragement and perceived orientation are significant constructs that affect actual use of social network services.     

Predicting electronic service continuance with a decomposed theory of planned behaviour

Previous research suggests that an eventual information technology (IT) success depends on both its initial adoption (acceptance) and subsequent continued usage (continuance). Theory of planned behaviour (TPB) has been successfully used to predict users' acceptance of IT. Yet, this theory has not been applied to the context of continuance of IT. This paper examines post-adoption cognitive beliefs and factors influencing one's intention to continue using (continuance) electronic services (e-services). Decomposed theory of planned behaviour (DTPB) is adapted from social psychology and integrated with theoretical and empirical findings from prior information systems (IS) usage research to theorize a model of e-service continuance. Specifically, the research model decomposes the perceived behavioural control components of TPB into Internet self-efficacy and perceived controllability, the subjective norm component into social influences and interpersonal influence, and the attitude component into perceived usefulness, perceived playfulness, and perceived risk. Nine research hypotheses derived from this model are empirically validated using a field survey of Web-based tax filing service users. The results suggest that users' continuance intention is determined by Internet self-efficacy and satisfaction. Satisfaction, in turn, is jointly determined by interpersonal influence, perceived usefulness, and perceived playfulness.     

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.     

Building presence in an online shopping website: the role of website quality

This study explores how sellers’ website quality influences buyers’ perceived presence, which in turn affects website identification and purchase intention. The results of a conceptual model, with data collected from TaoBao, demonstrate that information and service quality are positively related to social presence, and system and service quality are positively related to telepresence. Furthermore, information and service quality increase website identification, but system quality does not. Finally, social presence positively affects website identification and purchase intention, while telepresence only positively affects website identification. These results bridge the research gap about the formation of presence in an online shopping context.     

The impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intention: perceived playfulness and perceived flow as mediators

The purposes of this study are to examine whether perceived playfulness and perceived flow would mediate the relationships among website quality, customer satisfaction, and purchase intention, as well as to assess the degree of reciprocity between perceived playfulness and perceived flow in an online travel agency context. This study suggested a research framework for testing the relationships among the constructs based on the stimulus-organism-response framework. In addition, this study developed a non-recursive model. After validating the measurement scales, empirical analyses were conducted using structural equation modelling. The findings confirm that website quality affects customers’ perceived playfulness and perceived flow, and in turn, would influence their satisfaction and purchase intention. Notably, this study finds that the service quality is more important than information and system quality in influencing customer satisfaction and purchase intention. Furthermore, the study reveals that the relationship between perceived playfulness and perceived flow is reciprocal. Based on the findings, the implications are discussed in the paper and directions for future research are also highlighted.     

Exploring the Effect of Avatar Trust on Learners’ Perceived Participation Intentions in an e-Learning Environment

With continued advancements in Web technology, e-learning systems have emerged as an effective venue in which learners can interact with online contents and they are often equipped with avatar instructors in lieu of human instructors. In this case, avatar trust, the learners’ perceived trust in the avatar instructor, plays an important role in learners’ perceived intentions to participate in the e-learning activities. We assumed that social presence positively affects participation intention (PI) through avatar trust. The main purpose of this study is to empirically validate this hypothesis. Using two types of avatars as a moderating factor, our hypothesis was tested against 200 valid questionnaires. We found that social presence had a statistically significant influence on perceived PI through avatar trust, and that an attractive avatar type sheds stronger moderating effect on paths between social presence and avatar trust, and path between trust and participation than does an expert avatar type.     

Understanding Continuance Intention of Mobile Payment Services: An Empirical Study

Research on continued use of mobile payment services is scarce. To address part of this research gap, we examine a research model, derived from IT continuance, risk-trust, and affect-cognition literature. The results show that user satisfaction with mobile payment services has a substantive positive impact on continuance intention with such services; the disconfirmation of preadoption perceived usefulness about mobile payment services positively impacts user satisfaction and postadoption perceived usefulness; the disconfirmation of preadoption perceived risk about mobile payment services negatively impacts user satisfaction and positively impacts postadoption perceived risk; postadoption perceived usefulness is positively associated with continuance intention; user satisfaction positively impacts both institution-based trust in mobile payment technologies and trust beliefs in service providers; institution-based trust shows a positive impact on postadoption perceived usefulness and a negative impact on postadoption perceived risk.     

Determinants of customer acceptance of multi-service network: An implication for IP-based technologies

Using a modified TAM as a conceptual framework and SEM for analysis, we determined the factors influencing the adoption of Internet Protocol Television by surveying 320 consumers. The modifications involved new constructs that incorporated user-perceived control and security in the model. The perceived quality of the content and system were found to have a significant effect on perceived usefulness and perceived playfulness. In addition, perceived control was found to have a significant effect on both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. A significant relationship was also found between consumer-perceived security and intention. Also consumers regarded price as a main driver for switching TV services. We discuss the significance of this observation in the context of the emerging trend of technology convergence and importance in acquiring customer preference and other strategies.     

Continual use of microblogs

Some studies show that the Twitter's growth is leveling off and that its marketing has become ineffective. The purpose of this paper is to analyse what is needed for microblogs’ perpetuation. Factors such as message quality, source credibility, perceived usefulness, perceived interactivity, perceived playfulness, confirmation, and satisfaction were tested for their impact on continuance intention. A post-acceptance model of microblog continuance was proposed based on information system continuance model. We found that continuance intention to use microblogs is greatly affected by satisfaction, which in turn is affected by perceived interactivity and perceived usefulness, but satisfaction is not affected by confirmation or perceived playfulness. Although confirmation has no direct effect on satisfaction, it affects perceived interactivity and perceived usefulness, which in turn affect satisfaction.     

Determinants of accepting wireless mobile data services in China

Data services via wireless networks and mobile devices have experienced rapid growth worldwide. We investigated the factors influencing adoption of wireless mobile data services (WMDS) in China and tested our model for explaining adoption intentions there. We argued that individuals form their intention to adopt WMDS under the influence of wireless mobile technology, the social environment, personal innovativeness of IT, trust awareness, and the facilitating conditions. We examined the simultaneous effects of these five influences on beliefs in the context of wireless Internet data services via mobile phones. Survey data were collected from 1432 participants in several metro cities across China. The findings suggest that WMDS adoption intention in China is determined by consumers’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of WMDS. Theoretical and practical implications are included in our paper.     

Determinants of behavioral intention to mobile banking

With the improvement of mobile technologies and devices, banking users are able to conduct banking services at anyplace and at anytime. Recently, many banks in the world have provided mobile access to financial information. The reason to understand what factors contribute to users’ intention to use mobile banking is important issue of research. The purpose of this research is to examine and validate determinants of users’ intention to mobile banking. This research used a structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the causalities in the proposed model.The results indicated strong support for the validity of proposed model with 72.2% of the variance in behavioral intention to mobile banking. This study found that self-efficiency was the strongest antecedent of perceived ease-of-use, which directly and indirectly affected behavioral intention through perceived usefulness in mobile banking. Structural assurances are the strongest antecedent of trust, which could increase behavioral intention of mobile banking. This research verified the effect of perceived usefulness, trust and perceived ease-of-use on behavioral intention in mobile banking. The results have several implications for mobile banking managers.     

A study of the roles of trusts and risks in information-oriented online legal services using an integrated model

This study examined the effect of the four constructs – trust in online media, trust in online services, perceived risk with online media, and perceived risk with online services – on the use of information-oriented online legal services. Using past theories on adoption studies, a three-level framework was developed. This framework helped to formulate a new research model. A quantitative survey was conducted to identify the important factors affecting the intention of customers to adopt information-oriented online legal services in Hong Kong. Findings indicated that there is a hierarchical relationship among the four constructs. Perceived usefulness was the most important belief that drove people to adopt the online services. Perceived risk and trust were less important at present, probably because online legal services are still somewhat immature and mainly focus on less risky areas, such as information dissemination and marketing.     

Factors that determine residents’ acceptance of smart city technologies

ABSTRACT

While some cities attempt to determine their residents’ demand for smart-city technologies, others simply move forward with smart-related strategies and projects. This study is among the first to empirically determine which factors most affect residents’ and public servants’ intention to use smart-city services. A Smart Cities Stakeholders Adoption Model (SSA), based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), is developed and tested on a mid-size U.S. city as a case study. A questionnaire was administered in order to determine the influence of seven factors – effort expectancy, self-efficacy, perceived privacy, perceived security, trust in technology, price value and trust in government – on behaviour intention, specifically the decision to adopt smart-city technologies. Results show that each of these factors significantly influenced citizen intention to use smart-city services. They also reveal perceived security and perceived privacy to be strong determinants of trust in technology, and price value a determinant of trust in government. In turn, both types of trust are shown to increase user intention to both adopt and use smart-city services. These findings offer city officials an approach to gauging residential intention to use smart-city services, as well as identify those factors critical to developing a successful smart-city strategy.     

A two-staged SEM-neural network approach for understanding and predicting the determinants of m-commerce adoption

The advancement in wireless and mobile technologies has presented tremendous business opportunity for mobile-commerce (m-commerce). This research aims to examine the factors that influence consumers’ m-commerce adoption intention. Variables such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, trust, cost, network influence, and variety of services were used to examine the adoption intentions of consumers. Data was collected from 376 m-commerce users. A multi-analytic approach was proposed whereby the research model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), and the results from SEM were used as inputs for a neural network model to predict m-commerce adoption. The result showed that perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, trust, cost, network influence, and trust have significant influence on consumers’ m-commerce adoption intentions. However, the neural network model developed in this research showed that the best predictors of m-commerce adoption are network influence, trust, perceived usefulness, variety of service, and perceived enjoyment. This research proposed an innovative new approach to understand m-commerce adoption, and the result for this study will be useful for telecommunication and m-commerce companies in formulating strategies to attract more consumers.     

Student’s perceptions towards using e-learning via Facebook

Research on utilising social networks for teaching and learning is relatively scarce in the context of information systems. There is far more emphasis on studying the usage of social networks towards fulfilling individuals’ basic social needs. This study uses the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) to analyse students’ intention to use and use of e-learning via Facebook. It incorporates playfulness into the UTAUT2 model and categorises the determinants of intention to use e-learning via Facebook into three categories, namely, hedonic values, utilitarian values, and communication values. The data were collected in a two-stage survey from 170 undergraduate students, and the model was tested using structural equation modelling. We found that hedonic motivation, perceived playfulness, and performance expectancy were strong determinants of students’ intention to use e-learning, while habit and facilitating conditions all positively affected students’ use of e-learning via Facebook. The results of this study report new knowledge that academic institutions can utilise to create appropriate e-learning environments for teaching and learning. A number of theoretical and managerial implications for universities’ implementation technologies were also identified.     

Perceived quality factors of location-based apps on trust,perceived privacy risk,and continuous usage intention

Numerous location-based services (LBS) studies have suggested that the risk of disclosing personal privacy hinders consumers from adopting LBS, whereas scant attention has focused on clarifying how to mitigate the perceived privacy risk of using LBS. This quantitative study focuses on the effects of consumer quality perceptions (i.e. information quality, system quality, and service quality) on their trust in LBS, which consequently affects perceived privacy risk and continued usage intention towards LBS. Research data were collected through a market survey website; 1399 valid questionnaires were collected. Structural equation modelling analysis was applied to the data. The results revealed that information quality, system quality, and service quality were positively related to perceived trust. Perceived trust also correlated negatively with perceived privacy risk, but positively with continued usage intention. A managerial implication drawn from the findings is that LBS providers should develop more useful user interfaces or provide timely, personalised services to reduce perceived privacy risk and strengthen LBS continued usage intention.     

An empirical analysis of the determinants of 3G adoption in China

The main aim of this study is to examine the factors that affect Chinese consumers’ intention to adopt 3G. This study has extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by incorporating the determinants of perceived usefulness, cost, trust, and demographic profiles of Chinese consumers. Data is collected from Chinese consumers via self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was applied to examine the research model proposed. Our result showed that social influence, service quality and perceived ease of use have a direct and significant relationship with perceived usefulness of 3G, and this in turn affects the consumers’ decision to adopt 3G. Contrary to existing TAM research, perceived ease of use was not found to have a direct and significant influence with Chinese consumers’ intention to adopt 3G. Our study also revealed that those with higher educational level are more likely to adopt 3G. Based on the findings, this research is able to propose several practical recommendations to 3G providers in China, such as enhancing the variety of services provided through collaborations with mobile software and content developers. Furthermore, 3G providers can focus on promoting 3G through services such as “Friends and Family” packages as Chinese consumers’ 3G adoption decisions is influenced by their social network. In terms of theoretical contributions, this study has answered many calls from past researchers to investigate the determinants of perceived usefulness. This research was also conducted in China, which is one of the largest telecommunication markets in the world.     

The effect of communication and social motives on E-government services through social media groups

ABSTRACT

E-government on social media has received much attention lately. Despite a recent call for further research into social interaction and communication aspects of e-government on social media, there is still limited empirical evidence regarding why individuals participate in the social aspect of e-government services and how that relates to their expectations and satisfactions. The present work addresses this gap by extending the Expectation-Confirmation Theory (ECT) to study communication and social interactions in government Facebook groups. The results show that communication quality and responsiveness are two key elements that contribute to the perceived level of usefulness. These two variables together with social interaction had a statistically significant effect on the overall confirmation of expectations. Perceived usefulness and satisfaction predict continuance use intention of e-government social networking services with satisfaction influencing such intention more than perceived usefulness. Further multi-group analyses show that generational difference and usage frequency moderates the relationships of the extended model. Managerial implications are provided.     

Examination of community identification and interpersonal trust on continuous use intention: Evidence from experienced online community members

Members’ continued intention to use a community service is rooted in social identity. Past research has examined social identity but ignored the development of interpersonal trust through community identification. Drawing on social identity theory, one can conclude that community identification is the foundation of a member’s continuous use intention through interpersonal trust. Data come from responses to a two-stage survey of experienced members of an online game-based community. The findings support the belief that the identity of the community will strengthen long-term relationships within it. The projection of community identification on continuous use intention is tied to interpersonal trust.     

What influences college students to continue using business simulation games? The Taiwan experience

Previous studies have pointed out that computer games could improve students’ motivation to learn, but these studies have mostly targeted teachers or students in elementary and secondary education and are without user adoption models. Because business and management institutions in higher education have been increasingly using educational simulation games in recent years, factors influencing the continuing use of business simulation games by higher-education students are worth probing into. This research adopted the technology acceptance model, expectation confirmation theory, and agency theory as its theoretical base. Moreover, learning motivation and classroom climate from the perspective of learning, as well as perceived attractiveness and perceived playfulness from the perspective of playfulness and attractiveness were also added to the final research model. A total of 185 valid student respondents in Taiwan’s higher education who have used business simulation games in their classes participated in the survey. The results show that perceived playfulness and learning performance positively influence students’ satisfaction, which further influence the intention to use computer simulation games. Furthermore, perceived ease of use and perceived attraction play a critical role in determining perceived playfulness. Perceived ease of use was also positively influenced by perceived attraction. The research results on the students’ perspective provide a strong support for the teachers to adopt or continue using computer simulation games in classrooms. However, the agency theory failed to be sustained as a useful tool in motivating students’ learning activities, which is worthy of further research.