Why People Want to Continuously Use Mobile IM Service

Abstract

As the fast development and wide adoption of mobile instant messaging (IM) service, to find out which factors will significantly impact on user's continuance intention is very important for mobile IM practitioners. In this study, we integrated the constructs of interaction and network externalities as independent variables. Interaction includes interface interaction and social interaction; meanwhile, Network externalities includes referent network size and perceived complementarity. The results of this study reveal that both interaction and network externalities have significant influences on the generation of user's satisfaction. Furthermore, from the perspective of network externalities, perceived complementarity is the only available antecedent to generating user's perceived value. Finally, the moderating effect of perceived value on the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention is verified in this study. When perceived value is high, even for low satisfied users are more likely to continue using mobile IM service than high satisfied users, who have low perceived value.