Dilemmatic dual-factor determinants of discontinuous intention in cryptocurrency usage
Information Technology & People
ISSN: 0959-3845
Article publication date: 8 March 2022
Issue publication date: 21 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Cryptocurrency, an important application of blockchain technology, has gradually circulated, and its use has become widespread. While cryptocurrency is growing rapidly, potential risks are simultaneously emerging. Users thus may abandon their usage behavior of cryptocurrency, hindering the future development of cryptocurrency. While prior studies focus more on the intention to use cryptocurrency in the pre-adoption phase, less studies pay attention to discontinuance usage intention in the post-adoption phase. To fill this knowledge gap, this stfudy aims to explore factors that cause discontinuance usage intention regarding cryptocurrency.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the net valence framework theoretically grounded on the theory of reason action, a dilemmatic dual-factor model is proposed to figure out cryptocurrency users' discontinuance usage intention from the perceived risk and perceived benefit. This study identifies four potential risks and three potential benefits that affect perceived risk and benefit. The model with nine hypotheses were developed, and research data were collected by a survey method. A total of 343 valid responses were received, and PLS-SEM with SmartPLS was utilized to test the nine hypotheses, with seven hypotheses supported empirically.
Findings
Our findings demonstrate that financial, legal and operational risks are critical to increase users' perceived risk, and perceived usefulness and seamless transactions play important roles in enhancing users' perceived benefit. Moreover, while perceived risk can increase users' discontinuance usage intention to cryptocurrency, perceived benefit can mitigate such intention.
Originality/value
This study contributes nascent knowledge to the literature by examining factors that influence discontinuous usage intention in regard to cryptocurrencies, to firms that have issued or attempted to issue cryptocurrencies and to the potential users of cryptocurrencies by adjusting the mode of operation and investment strategies and reducing user costs, achieving a win-win situation for firms and users.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the senior editor, Wen-Lung Shiau, and the two reviewers for their excellent guidance that greatly improved the manuscript. This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of China under the grants MOST 108-2410-H-194-092-MY2 and 108-2410-H-415-045-MY2.
Citation
Huang, C.-K., Lee, N.C.-A. and Chen, W.-C. (2023), "Dilemmatic dual-factor determinants of discontinuous intention in cryptocurrency usage", Information Technology & People, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 564-594. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-11-2020-0778
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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