What Drives People to Continue to Play Online Games? An Extension of Technology Model and Theory of Planned Behavior

Online gaming has become one of the fastest growing entertainment industries on the Internet over the past decade. However, little is known about why people continue to play certain online games or which design factors are most closely related to the amount of time spent by players at particular online gaming sites. The purpose of this study is to propose a theoretical research model, which integrates flow experience, human–computer interaction, social interaction, and perceived enjoyment, together with the technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior to explain why people continue to play online games. The proposed model was examined through an empirical study involving 415 participants using structural equation modeling techniques. The results found that player attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, flow experience, and perceived enjoyment have a positive influence on players' continued intention to play online games and explain about 70% of variance. In addition, implications for online games development are discussed.     

Determinants of knowledge seeking in professional virtual communities

As knowledge management systems within organisations, professional virtual communities (PVCs) are popular knowledge-seeking tools, which bring together geographically dispersed members from outside of the organisations. An increasing number of employees use PVCs for knowledge seeking, knowledge exchange and problem solving at work. Why do members choose to receive knowledge from other community members in PVCs needs to be understood. This paper extends Ajzen's [1991. The theory of planned behaviour. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50 (2), 179–211] theory of planned behaviour to elicit external beliefs in terms of personal motivation, as well as technological and social factors, and to examine the relative importance of these factors. According to this study's online survey of 323 members in three PVCs, the results show that the significance of beliefs, such as system quality, compatibility, trust, knowledge growth and knowledge quality, in creating positive attitudes towards knowledge seeking. Community identification is shown as a salient belief for the subjective norms of knowledge seeking. System quality and resource availability are revealed as important determinants for perceived behavioural control of knowledge seeking. Knowledge-seeking intention is based on the attitude towards knowledge seeking and the subjective norm of knowledge seeking, whereas knowledge-seeking behaviour is solely determined by knowledge-seeking intention. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Exploring Chinese users’ acceptance of instant messaging using the theory of planned behavior,the technology acceptance model,and the flow theory

Instant messaging (IM) is a popular Internet application around the world. In China, the competition in the IM market is very intense and there are over 10 IM products available. We examine the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that affect Chinese users’ acceptance of IM based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the technology acceptance model (TAM), and the flow theory. Results demonstrate that users’ perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment significantly influence their attitude towards using IM, which in turn impacts their behavioral intention. Furthermore, perceived usefulness, users’ concentration, and two components of the theory of planned behavior (TPB): subjective norm and perceived behavioral control, also have significant impact on the behavioral intention. Users’ intention determines their actual usage behavior.     

Knowledge-sharing in virtual communities: familiarity,anonymity and self-determination theory

Although the role of motivation has been emphasised in knowledge-sharing literature, traditional motivation theories, such as self-determination theory (SDT), have not been actively used as a research framework in knowledge-sharing research. The purposes of this study are twofold. The first objective is to propose a model, based on SDT, to test the effect of the three basic psychological needs – perceived competence, perceived autonomy and perceived relatedness – on knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities. The second objective is to explore the effects of familiarity and anonymity on the basic psychological needs to better understand individuals’ knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities. The results show that perceived competence and perceived relatedness influence knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities; however, perceived autonomy does not influence knowledge-sharing behaviours; familiarity influences positively perceived competence and perceived relatedness, and anonymity influences negatively perceived autonomy and perceived relatedness.     

Developing an antecedent model of knowledge sharing intention in virtual communities

This study explored the antecedent model of knowledge sharing intention in virtual communities based on social influence theory. A field survey was performed with the participation of 176 college students who were Facebook users. The results indicated that expected benefits (i.e., cognitive benefits, social integrative benefits, personal integrative benefits, and hedonic benefits) significantly and positively influenced social influence factors (i.e., group norms, social identity, and subjective norms). In addition, social influence factors (i.e., group norms, social identity, and subjective norms) significantly and positively influenced knowledge sharing intention in virtual communities. Finally, social influence factors (i.e., group norms, social identity, and subjective norms) fully mediate the effects of expected benefits (i.e., cognitive benefits, social integrative benefits, personal integrative benefits, and hedonic benefits) on knowledge sharing intention. This study identified the antecedents of knowledge sharing intention in virtual communities, and the results could be applied to areas of organization, education, and business.     

What makes them happy and curious online? An empirical study on high school students’ Internet use from a self-determination theory perspective

From a self-determination theory perspective, this study tries to investigate how perceived autonomy support, perceived relatedness and competence affect high school students’ intrinsic motivations (enjoyment and curiosity) to use the Internet, and the related outcomes of the motivation. Surveys are distributed to seven junior and ten senior high schools in a prefectural-level city in central China. Existing instruments from previous research are adapted to measure the following constructs: teacher support, parental support, peer influence, Internet self-efficacy, enjoyment, curiosity, flow state and online exploratory behavior. Finally, 3475 valid responses are collected.     

Low self-control and cybercrime: Exploring the utility of the general theory of crime beyond digital piracy

While technological innovations over the last thirty years have markedly improved the ways in which people communicate and gather information, these advances have also led to computer crimes and related deviance becoming permanent fixtures in our society. In an effort to curtail internet offending, it is important for academics and practitioners alike to better understand why some individuals engage in cybercriminality. Criminologists have utilized several theories to investigate this type of deviance, including low self-control theory. However, the vast majority of this prior research has focused on a narrow scope of offending, namely digital piracy. The current study utilizes a sample of 488 undergraduate students to evaluate the theory’s generality hypothesis by examining the extent to which low self-control predicts online deviance in general and beyond digital piracy more specifically. Study results support the generality hypothesis in that low self-control is related to non-digital piracy online deviance. Specific findings, policy implications, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Securing online privacy: An empirical test on Internet scam victimization,online privacy concerns,and privacy protection behaviors

The current study identified the antecedents of being an Internet scam victim and how it impacts online privacy concerns and privacy protection behaviors. Structural equation modeling on data from a survey of 11,534 Internet users revealed that one indicator of weak self-control (i.e., willingness of risky investments) and two indicators of routine Internet activities (i.e., online shopping and opening emails from unknown sources) positively predicted being an Internet scam victim. Subsequently, being an Internet scam victim predicted increased online privacy concerns, which, in turn, predicted elevated privacy protection behaviors. Moreover, we found that being an Internet scam victim mediated the effects of routine Internet activities on privacy protection behaviors and that online privacy concerns mediated the effect of being an Internet scam on privacy protection behaviors. Unlike most Internet privacy studies using protection motivation theory only, the current study contributes to the understanding of the Internet scam victimization by incorporating three new theories—extended parallel process model, self-control theory, and routine activity theory. The research findings provided valuable implications for theory and practice related to Internet scam processes and prevention.     

Identify predictors of university students’ continuance intention to use online carbon footprint calculator

An online carbon footprint calculator (CFC) is a Green Information System, which enables individuals to self-estimate carbon footprints, self-manage behaviour, and accordingly self-control carbon emissions. Individuals’ persistent CFC use may help to slow down global warming. Thus, it is vital to establish a model to investigate the motivational predictors of CFC continuance intention. We formulated a model by integrating Expectation-Confirmation Model (ECM) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), with the former measuring continuance intention and the latter measuring low-carbon behavioural intention. To validate the model and identify significant predictors, a survey was conducted on undergraduate students. The survey results revealed that ECM accounted for 50% of the variance in continuance intention, that TPB accounted for 35% in low-carbon behavioural intention, and that the integrated model accounted for 64% in CFC continuance intention. Plus, direct and significant predictors of CFC continuance intention included low-carbon attitude, low-carbon behavioural intention, low-carbon subjective norm, satisfaction, and usefulness. Findings, implications, and suggestions are accordingly offered.     

Understanding civic engagement behaviour on Facebook from a social capital theory perspective

This paper applies the social capital theory to construct a model for investigating the factors that influence online civic engagement behaviour on Facebook. While there is promising evidence that people are making concerted efforts to adopt Facebook to address social issues, research on their civic behaviour from a social capital viewpoint in the social media context remains limited. This study introduces new insights into how Facebook is shaping the landscape of civic engagement by examining three dimensions of social capital – social interaction ties (structural), trust (relational), and shared languages and vision (cognitive). The study contends that these dimensions will influence individuals’ online civic engagement behaviour on Facebook. We also argue that social interaction ties can engender trust, and shared languages and vision among its members, and that shared languages and vision can increase trust among Facebook members. Empirical data collected from 1233 Facebook users provide support for the proposed model. The results help in identifying the motivation underlying the online civic engagement behaviour of individuals in a public virtual community. The implications for theory and practice and future research directions are discussed.     

A study of executives' use of biometrics: an application of theory of planned behaviour

Biometrics has become an important alternative in user authentication to a system. The Brunei Government has embarked on various e-government projects. Some of these projects embed biometric mechanism for authentication. The acceptance of biometric security services appears to be affected by several factors, some of which may be the personal attitude of the users, influences of normality and context in which it is used. The study focuses on 155 executives from the 10 ministries of Brunei Darussalam to explore the behavioural intent of the executives towards biometrics through their attitudes. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was used as a reference framework, to understand the intention of using biometrics. The data analyses through Smart-PLS suggest that government officers’ attitudes towards biometrics is a predictor of behavioural intention, whereas, subjective norms is a predictor of attitude, perceived behavioural control, behavioural intention and behaviour, i.e. the use of the biometric technology. The implications of these findings are discussed and some conclusions are drawn.     

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.     

Differences in pre‐service teachers' knowledge and readiness to use ICT in education

The aim of this paper is to provide insights into differences between pre‐service teachers based on the areas of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and the areas of theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in the context of using information and communication technology in education. The target group consisted of 267 first‐year pre‐service teachers at 3 Finnish universities. Differences between pre‐service teachers were outlined using cluster analysis based on their knowledge of different TPACK areas (the respondents' weak and strong areas). To see how the TPB areas aligned with the 4 TPACK clusters, 1‐way analysis of variance was used. Statistically significant differences between the 4 clusters were found in all the TPB areas except subjective norms. These results provide insights into the differences among pre‐service teachers in the context of TPACK and the TPB. They also suggest that instead of considering pre‐service teachers as one homogenous group, we need to understand the variations among their abilities and knowledge in order to be able to provide them with support they need within teacher education.     

Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Communities: A Study of Citizenship Behavior and Its Social-Relational Antecedents

A virtual community is a type of online structure that enables Internet users to communicate and collaborate. Users' knowledge contributions are critical to the viability and sustainability of virtual communities. This article studies virtual community members' knowledge sharing from the perspective of citizenship behavior defined as members' spontaneous contribution to the community without expectation of return or reciprocation. The social-relational antecedents of citizenship behavior are explored through an examination of how members' general attitude and desire for relationship building and maintaining, including attachment motivation, social support orientation, and disposition to trust influence their trusting beliefs and citizenship knowledge-sharing behavior. Hypotheses are developed and tested with survey data from Chinese and American users of virtual communities. In general, the results of data analyses support our research model. This article contributes empirically to virtual community research and has practical implications for virtual community development.     

Weaving the internet together: Imagined communities in newspaper comment threads

Online newspapers (and other spaces) are increasingly seeking to utilise user-generated content alongside professionally developed material. However, this might leave websites increasingly vulnerable to trolls, who work to disrupt online communications in online spaces. Such behaviour can have serious consequences both in peoples online and offline lives, and for the development of coherent online communities. One means of controlling is through the manipulation of the online space to create social norms of polite behaviour through the founding of ‘imagined communities’ online.Approaching the issue from a discursive psychological perspective, this paper draws upon comments published in two online British newspaper comment sections responding to the publication of an academic article on trolling. Imagined communities are shown to arise irrespective of the presence of the virtual infrastructure to support the development of these imagined communities.Key features of imagined communities identified here are: individuation (as opposed to deindividuation); mutual influence between posters; shared history for both the users and the online space; the use of humour to cement social bonds. Analysis also revealed tensions in posters understanding of online and offline behaviours.This research holds implications for understanding online spaces, and the interactions between users within these spaces.     

Motivations of Wikipedia content contributors

Rapidly developing web technologies have increased the prevalence of user-generated Internet content. Of the many websites with user-generated content on the Internet, one of the most renowned is Wikipedia, which is the largest multilingual free-content encyclopedia written by users collaboratively. Nevertheless, although contributing to Wikipedia takes time and knowledge, contributors are rarely compensated. As a result, there is a need to understand why individuals share their knowledge in Wikipedia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of both conventional and self concept-based motivation on individual willingness to share knowledge in Wikipedia. After performing an online questionnaire survey, SEM was applied to assess the proposed model and hypotheses. The analytical results showed that internal self-concept motivation is the key motivation for knowledge sharing on Wikipedia.     

Factors influencing continuance intention to use social network sites: The Facebook case

Social networking sites (SNS) have become one of the most popular means of online social interaction. However, few studies have examined SNS from the context of post-adoption. This study focuses on continuance usage intention toward Facebook, a popular SNS, among university students in the United Arab Emirates. We have extended the expectation–confirmation model by investigating the influence of enjoyment and subjective norms as critical factors that directly influence continuance usage intention, and added habit as a mediator between satisfaction and continuance intention. We used structural equation modeling to validate the proposed model and hypotheses. We find that perceived usefulness, satisfaction, habit, enjoyment, and subjective norms explain 54.8% of the variance in continuance intention. Furthermore, our study shows that the effect of satisfaction on continuance intention is both direct and mediated by habit. Thus, practitioners should focus on all of these factors to encourage continuance usage intention in their site’s users.     

Perceived derived attributes of online customer reviews

The influence of online customer reviews (OCRs) on customers' purchase intention has recently gained considerable attention, in both academic and business communities. Technology allows customers to freely and easily post their comments and opinions online about any product or service; this type of customer review can have a significant effect on customers' purchase decisions. Previous studies, however, have mainly focused on the influence of the virtual attributes of OCRs such as volume and valence on consumers' intentions, while limited attention has been paid to understanding the effects of the derived attributes. This study, thus, aims to understand the impact of the perceived derived attributes of OCRs on customer trust and intention. This study develops a – Perceived Derived Attributes (PDA) - model, based on the inclusion of perceived control from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), in order to investigate the effects of OCRs on customers’ purchasing intention. A total of 489 responses to a survey were collected from users of amazon.com. The findings from this study suggest that customer trust in an e-vendor and their intention to shop online are significantly affected by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment of OCRs. Furthermore, the sense of control derived from OCRs significantly affects customer intention and significantly affects customer trust in e-vendors, particularly for customers who frequently check OCRs before making a purchase. Clearly, those attributes of OCRs are linked to the development of the shopping environment, which consequently can affect sales.     

Learning Virtual Community Loyalty Behavior From a Perspective of Social Cognitive Theory

Drawing upon social cognitive theory (SCT), this research postulates several personal and environmental factors as key drivers of virtual community loyalty behavior in online settings. An empirical testing of this model, by investigating undergraduate students' participation in communities of online games, reveals the applicability of SCT in virtual communities. The study's test results show that the influences of both affective commitment and social norms on community loyalty behavior are significant, whereas the influences of both exchange ideology and social support on community loyalty behavior are insignificant. This research contributes to the online community literature by assessing critical antecedent factors to the unexplored area of community loyalty behavior, by validating idiosyncratic drivers of community loyalty behavior and by performing an operationalization of affective commitment and social norms in a virtual world. Last, managerial implications and limitations of this research are provided.     

The effectiveness and acceptance of an affective information literacy tutorial

Due to the ready access to large amounts of information afforded by the Internet, information literacy (IL) has taken on an important role. Recent developments in affective computing have provided more opportunities in the way online IL education can be delivered. However, research on how affective computing can be used in IL education is lacking. The research objectives of this study are therefore twofold: to investigate the influence of affective embodied agents (EAs) on students' motivation, enjoyment, knowledge retention and intention to use; and to uncover factors influencing their intention to use an online IL tutorial with affective EAs.To achieve these objectives, 285 university students were recruited to participate in a betweensubjects experiment (text-only, non-affective EAs, and affective EAs), including completing an IL tutorial and a post-test questionnaire. The results suggested that students benefited from the added use of an affective EA in the IL tutorials, in terms of learning motivation and enjoyment. Moreover, relevance, confidence, satisfaction, affective enjoyment, and behavioral enjoyment were found to be significant predictors for intention to use an IL tutorial with affective EAs.