기술융합형 웹툰 서비스의 지속적 사용에 영향을 미치는 요인 연구

Abstract

This study aims to identify the factors influencing the continuous use of technology-converged webtoons by users through the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). The influence of webtoons as a media form is increasing, and they are evolving into technology-converged webtoons, such as smarttoons optimized for mobile environments and cuttoons designed for sharing on social media. The study investigated the factors influencing the continued use of technology -converged webtoons by categorizing them into technical attributes (effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, recommendation services) and psychological factors (hedonic motivation, price value, habit). The research findings revealed that, within the technical attributes, effort expectancy positively impacted the sustained use of technology-converged webtoons. Furthermore, within the psychological factors, hedonic motivation, price value, facilitating conditions, and habit were found to have a positive influence on the continuous use of technology-converged webtoons. Through this study, it was determined that users of technology-converged webtoons are more likely to continue using webtoons due to psychological factors rather than technical attributes. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of the price value factor, noting that users perceive the price of technology -converged webtoons as “reasonable,” offering “good value for money” and providing “utility.” Based on these findings, it is expected that this study will serve as valuable data for the future developmental growth of the webtoon industry.