An empirical study on continuance intention of mobile social networking services: Integrating the IS success model, network externalities and flow theory

Abstract

Purpose

Users' continuance intention is vital to the future of mobile social networking service (SNS) with rapid development and intensive competitions among its providers. The purpose of this research is to identify the factors affecting mobile SNS users' continuance intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from an online survey administered to 228 mobile SNS users are used to test the research model through the use of structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results show that flow, perceived usefulness and satisfaction determine continuance intention of mobile SNS. Moreover, the authors found that referent network size and perceived complementarity are the main factors affecting flow, whereas information quality is the main factor affecting perceived usefulness. Only system quality significantly affects satisfaction.

Practical implications

The results imply that mobile service providers need to take the functional characteristics of the mobile SNS (e.g. system quality and information quality), network externalities (referent network size and perceived complementarity) and flow experience into consideration when encouraging users' continuance intention towards mobile SNS.

Originality/value

Extant research has focused on initial adoption and usage of mobile SNS and has seldom considered post-adoption usage, which is critical to mobile service providers' success. This research tries to fill the gap by examining continuance intention to use mobile SNS. The theory embedded within the IS success model, network externalities and flow theory articulated that these three research domains can be integrated to better understand the factors that influence mobile SNS users' continuance intention.

Citation

Gao, L. and Bai, X. (2014), "An empirical study on continuance intention of mobile social networking services: Integrating the IS success model, network externalities and flow theory", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 168-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-07-2013-0086