Studies Regarding User Behavior in Social Technology–Using Instant Messaging and Blog as Examples

• Main Authors: Ming-Ren Lee, 李明仁
• Other Authors: Hsi-Peng Lu
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/47486712885869882104

博士 === 國立臺灣科技大學 === 資訊管理系 === 99 === This study explores three kinds of user behavior in social technology, including diffusion, stickiness, and sharing. Some insights are obtained after empirical validation. Study I investigated the antecedents of instant messaging (IM) diffusion. Based on technology acceptance model and social cognitive theory, this study proposed perceived usefulness, ease of use, need for belonging, perceived enjoyment, critical mass, and social influence as the antecedents of IM diffusion. Surveying 302 IM users, the results demonstrated that IM diffusion is driven by its hedonic value, not utilitarian value of social connection. In addition, technical factors (PU and PEOU) and environmental factors (CM and SI) can facilitate IM diffusion directly or indirectly. The results also revealed that social influence is helpful to increase user perceptions about usefulness and ease of use, and critical mass is related to perceived ease to use. This implies that characteristics of IM can come from environmental origins, and IM is treated as hedonic-oriented and small group media. The research model explains 72 percent of variance of user intention to use IM. Study II investigated the demographic differences and the antecedents of blog stickiness. Based on social cognitive theory, IS success model, and individual differences theory, this study proposed blog quality, need for cognition, and social influence as the antecedents of blog stickiness. Surveying 231 blog users, the results demonstrate that content is still the king in the blog environment. Social influence only affects the duration in the blog directly, but not the retention to the blog. For gender differences, female readers care for content mainly, but males further care about system quality and social influence. For blog experience and usage differences, while blog veterans or heavy users care about content and social influence, blog newbies care about the quality of context and system. Students and non-students also have different antecedents of blog stickiness. This study not only provides a further understanding into the blog stickiness, but also offers an impetus to future researches. Study III investigated the blog experience differences and the antecedents of blog sharing. Based on socio-technical theory, social cognitive theory, and social exchange theory, this study proposed perceived usability, self-disclosure, information literacy, social influence, outcome expectation for financial capital, knowledge capital, and social capital as the antecedents of blog sharing. Surveying 268 blog authors, the results demonstrate that usability is a necessity for blog sharing. Blog sharing is primarily a personal endeavor driven by inner self-disclosure, not external information literacy or outer social influence. Sharing behavior is also encouraged by outcome expectancy for knowledge capital and social capital rather than financial capital. In addition, the results also indicated that expectancy for knowledge capital can enhance new entrants to write a blog, whereas expectancy for social capital keeps blog veterans sharing in blogs. According to above empirical survey, as a conclusion, this dissertation attempts to propose a conceptual framework (technological value, personal characteristic, social value, and outcome expectancy) for investigating user behavior in social technology. Although this framework is supported by theoretical triangulation, it needs more empirically test and validation in future research. In addition adoption behavior, stickiness behavior, and sharing behavior, there still exists several issues such as trust behavior, commercial behavior, and offline-online relationship. Future studies should also emphasize the negative effects such privacy, addiction, and cheating in social technology. The dissertation provides preliminary studies, there still exists many interesting issues need to be investigated in future studies.