Personal Life Interrupted: Understanding the Effects of Technology-Mediated Interruptions from Work to Personal Life

This study examines how technology-mediated work-related interruptions affect people’s personal life in terms of the level of work-life conflict they experience and their ability to fulfill the responsibilities of their personal life. Based on interruption source, we differentiate between two types of interruptions that occur in one’s personal life: other-initiated and self-initiated. Drawing on interruption research and micro-role transition theories, we conceptualize distinct effects of the two interruption types on outcome variables. Data were collected through surveys from 137 knowledge workers. The results reveal distinct effects of other-initiated and self-initiated interruptions on personal life. The frequency of other-initiated interruptions is found to be positively associated with work-life conflict and negatively associated with fulfillment of personal life responsibilities, whereas the frequency of self-initiated interruptions does not significantly affect personal life. The results also suggest that the effects of other-initiated interruptions on fulfillment of personal life responsibilities are partially mediated by work-life conflict. The study concludes with implications for research and practice

Anonymity, Privacy, and Disclosure (APD) Triad on Social Networking Applications

While the average time people spend on their mobile apps continues to increase, the life cycle of using new social networking apps (SNA) remains relatively short, mostly due to privacy concern. For SNA users, it is important to know how the perception of anonymity and privacy concern determine the depth of disclosed information. For many SNA developers and practitioners, understanding the actual engagement of users on the platform is critical for measuring success of the app. Previous research has evaluated motivations/preventions of app usage and consequences of continuing usage. Despite efforts to understand the engagement with mobile devices and other users, there is little work in the Information Systems (IS) field to simultaneously investigate the triad of anonymity, privacy concern, and disclosure (APD) on continuous engagement with SNAs. Through the lens of contextual integrity of privacy, this research proposes a research model to investigate APD relationships with perceived and actual engagements with a new SNA. The research model is tested using a survey and actual usage data captured from users’ log files provided by mobile app developers. Results demonstrate how privacy is significantly related with actual engagement while anonymity relationship with actual engagement is fully mediated by perceived engagement

A Multidisciplinary Study Of Antecedents To Voluntary Knowledge Contribution Within Online Forums

One challenge faced by online forums is the provision of a sustainable supply of contributions of knowledge (Wasco et al., 2009). Previous studies have identified online trust and perceived critical mass as antecedents of online knowledge contributions. However, the dynamic aspects of antecedents are little investigated. Moreover, how the dynamics together impact on members’ willingness to contribute knowledge is an open question to be further investigated. To examine the dynamic antecedents of online knowledge continuance, this thesis seeks to develop a holistic approach through three studies. Drawing on a decomposed theory of planned behaviour (Taylor and Todd, 1995), study one identifies dynamic antecedents of intentional online contribution behaviours. Covariance-based structural equation modelling analysis of 910 responses obtained shows that perceived critical mass and trust in online forums that mediates trust in members are the highlighted antecedents in the context of online forums. The development of trust in online forums is investigated through a time series approach in study two. Findings using webnographic and machine learning analysis show that the cognitive dimension of institutional trust is essential in initial trust building. Study three uses network analysis techniques to explore the role of critical mass members. Results indicate that only 5% of critical mass members can sustain online forums. However, critical mass members compete for their connections, inferring the importance of brand building in the beginning of online forums development. A summary of findings from the three studies suggests that the structure assurance of online forums can mediate the effects of interactions between members to a coalition of membership over time. The study provides further knowledge on the voluntary contribution within online forums by taking a dynamic approach, while previous studies in this field are predominantly cross-sectional and un-prophetic

The impact of religious affiliation on trust in the context of electronic commerce

There is currently a growing literature on the role that trust plays in encouraging consumers to engage in e-commerce transactions. Various models have been proposed which aim to identify both the antecedents and outcomes of trust displayed towards e-commerce web sites. Increased trust is generally shown to increase positive user attitude which in turn is linked to increased willingness to buy. Studies have shown the antecedents of trust include variables such as the perceived reputation and size of the vendor organisation. The current paper explores the role of cultural variables as antecedents of trust with the main emphasis being on religious affiliation. Participants recruited from Christian, Muslim and other faiths were asked to interact with online bookstores identified as Christian, Muslim or Neutral. Trust and attitudes towards the web sites were measured and this data was used to test the hypothesis that same-religion sites would be trusted and liked more than other religion or neutral sites. This hypothesis was partially supported, but only for the Muslim participants. It was found that the Muslim group expressed significantly more trust in the Muslim site compared to the Christian site. They also expressed significantly more positive attitudes towards the Muslim online bookstore than the other two sites. The implications of these result for theories of web based trust and attitude are discussed along with the practical implications of the findings

The Influence Of Social Presence On Virtual Community Participation: The Relational View Based On Community-Trust Theory

Virtual communities constitute an online environment that offers not only a new form of communication through which community members share information and interact with each other, but also an arena in which members develop social relationships. Prior research on the conceptualization of social presence, the degree to which a person is perceived as real in a mediated communication, results in two lines of perspectives. The media richness view conceives social presence as a media attribute while the relational view considers social presence as a quality of relational systems, emphasizing the relational aspects of communication. Drawing upon the relational view of social presence, this research incorporates the commitment-trust theory to investigate the influence of social presence on virtual community members’ continual participation. Moreover, this research considers sense of virtual community (SOVC) as the mediator between social presence and virtual community participation. The contributions of this research are three-fold. First, this research contributes to social presence literature by focusing on the social relational aspects of communication that are dependent on the participants rather than on the medium. Second, this research examines the role and importance of social presence in SOVC and virtual community participation. Lastly, it helps clarify how social presence contributes to continual participation in virtual communities

Driving online shopping: Spending and behavioral differences among women in Saudi Arabia

This study proposes a revised technology acceptance model that integrates expectation confirmation theory to measure gender differences with regard to continuance online shopping intentions in Saudi Arabia. The sample consists of 650 female respondents. A structural equation model confirms model fit. Perceived enjoyment, usefulness, and subjective norms are determinants of online shopping continuance in Saudi Arabia. High and low online spenders among women in Saudi Arabia are equivalent. The structural weights are also largely equivalent, but the regression paths from perceived site quality to perceived usefulness is not invariant between high and low e-shoppers in Saudi Arabia. This research moves beyond online shopping intentions and includes factors affecting online shopping continuance. The research model explains 60% of the female respondents’ intention to continue shopping online. Online strategies cannot ignore either the direct and indirect spending differences on continuance intentions, and the model can be generalized across Saudi Arabia

Critical review of the e-loyalty literature: a purchase-centred framework

Over the last few years, the concept of online loyalty has been examined extensively in the literature, and it remains a topic of constant inquiry for both academics and marketing managers. The tremendous development of the Internet for both marketing and e-commerce settings, in conjunction with the growing desire of consumers to purchase online, has promoted two main outcomes: (a) increasing numbers of Business-to-Customer companies running businesses online and (b) the development of a variety of different e-loyalty research models. However, current research lacks a systematic review of the literature that provides a general conceptual framework on e-loyalty, which would help managers to understand their customers better, to take advantage of industry-related factors, and to improve their service quality. The present study is an attempt to critically synthesize results from multiple empirical studies on e-loyalty. Our findings illustrate that 62 instruments for measuring e-loyalty are currently in use, influenced predominantly by Zeithaml et al. (J Marketing. 1996;60(2):31-46) and Oliver (1997; Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer. New York: McGraw Hill). Additionally, we propose a new general conceptual framework, which leads to antecedents dividing e-loyalty on the basis of the action of purchase into pre-purchase, during-purchase and after-purchase factors. To conclude, a number of managerial implementations are suggested in order to help marketing managers increase their customers’ e-loyalty by making crucial changes in each purchase stage

Individual trust and the internet

The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies and associated services heralded a second generation of the Internet emphasising collaboration and sharing amongst users. This resulted in a seismic shift in the relationship between individual consumers and firms but also between individual consumers and the Internet as a system. Consumers, not firms, became an emerging locus of value production and through the ability to publish and connect with known and unknown others, an emerging locus of power (Berthon, Pitt, Plangger, & Shapiro, 2012). Powered by broadband telecommunications and device connectivity, the intensity of these changes was further deepened by being freed from the desktop to the mobile web. We are more connected now than ever before. The high levels of societal interconnectedness encouraged by the internet have made trust an even more vital ingredient in today’s society (Hardin, 2006). The more recent development of Web 3.0 technology emphasises ubiquitous connectivity and a machine-facilitated understanding of information that may once more change the locus of activity, value production and control. In order to keep pace with the issues of contemporary society, trust researchers must consider the how trust relationships and perceptions operate and are influenced by the online environment. This chapter will discuss how traditional trust concepts translate to the online context and will examine empirical literature on online trust at three different levels. Interpersonal trust between individuals using the internet as a medium for communication is particularly relevant in a world where personal and professional relationships are increasingly mediated by technology. We will also discuss the role of the internet in relationships between individuals and organisations with particular attention to the provision of e-services. Finally, we discuss trust in the system of the internet itself as a distributed connected infrastructure made up of indirect system service providers which are often nameless or in the background. Our focus in the chapter is on individual trust in other individuals, organisations and the system of the internet itself. Trust from the perspective of the organisation may also be of interest to trust scholars. This includes issues relating to organisational trust in individuals, inter-organisational trust, and organisational trust in the system of the Internet itself however these topics are outside of the scope of this chapter (see Perks & Halliday, 2003; Ratnasingam, 2005)

Effects of user experience on user resistance to change to the voice user interface of an in‑vehicle infotainment system: Implications for platform and standards competition

This study examines the effects of user experience on user resistance to change—particularly, on the relationship between user resistance to change and its antecedents (i.e. switching costs and perceived value) in the context of the voice user interface of an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system. This research offers several salient findings. First, it shows that user experience positively moderates the relationship between uncertainty costs (one type of switching cost) and user resistance. It also negatively moderates the association between perceived value and user resistance. Second, the research test results demonstrate that users with a high degree of prior experience with the voice user interface of other smart devices exhibit low user resistance to change to the voice user interface in an IVI system. Third, we show that three types of switching costs (transition costs, in particular) may directly influence users to resist a change to the voice user interface. Fourth, our test results empirically demonstrate that both switching costs and perceived value affect user resistance to change in the context of an IVI system, which differs from the traditional IS research setting (i.e. enterprise systems). These findings may guide not only platform leaders in designing user interfaces, user experiences, and marketing strategies, but also firms that want to defend themselves from platform envelopment while devising defensive strategies in platform and standards competition

The Antecedents and Outcomes of Identifiability in Online Brand Communities

User generated content is a fundamental aspect of an online brand community (OBC), therefore facilitating the continuance of knowledge sharing and social interaction is imperative to the success of the community. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of perceived identifiability on the factors that encourage ongoing participation in OBCs. Results indicate that perceived identifiability has a significant positive influence on an OBC members’ participative behaviour and sense of belonging. Whilst network ties have a significant positive influence on perceived identifiability and a sense of belonging all of which are factors shown to be critical to the ongoing success and sustainability of OBCs