Understanding Individuals’ Switching of eService: An Empirical Study of Social Network Games Switching Intentions in China

Abstract

Competitors in social network game (SNG) are constantly providing substitutes to attract SNG players, and SNG players switch among SNGs. In prior IS literature, little research has attempted to study the switching behavior of IS users. This paper aims at exploring users’ switching behavior in the context of SNG. We applied the push-pull-mooring framework from the marketing field to examine the determinants of SNG players’ switching intention. In addition, we investigate the moderating role of individuals’ demographics, such as age and gender. We tested the proposed research model with 541 responses collected via an online survey among Chinese SNG players. The research results suggest that perceived enjoyment (push effect), descriptive norms and alternative attractiveness (pull effects), as well as adaptation cost (mooring effect), have significant effects on individuals’ switching intention in SNGs. Meanwhile, demographics (such as age and gender) are moderating effects on relations among independent variables to switching intention in various degrees.