Trust and Hedonic Motivation: Predicting the Satisfaction and Continuance Intention to use Facebook

 

Praveena K

Assistant Professor, SCMS School of Technology and Management, Cochin, Kerala, India.

 

ABSTRACT:

The use of Social Networking Sites has become a routine of the daily life of people. There are numerous sites with varied features and with users with different motives. Facebook is the largest site in terms of the user base. For all these sites, one of the concerns is to maintain the active users. The focus of the study is to analyse the significance of Trust and Hedonic Motivation in predicting Satisfaction and Continuance intention. The results show that hedonic motivation is the main predictor of the continuance intention to use Facebook. Trust is also a found to have a significant influence on Satisfaction and continuance Intention. Satisfaction is found to partially mediate the relationship of trust and hedonic motivation towards the continuance intention.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Social Networking Sites (SNS) have become an inevitable part of the daily life of people. The use of these sites varies from common man to the upper strata of the society. There are numerous sites offering varied features and uses which make people to choose certain sites among these. Various factors lead to the intention to continue to use these sites. The satisfaction of the people also varies in the usage of these sites due to the varied features available. Researchers have been long studying the various factors that lead to the intention and usage of different information technologies and information systems. This has led to the formulation of various models and theories explaining the technology acceptance and usage.

The advent of new systems and technologies still make the process ongoing and different models are framed or extended accordingly to suit the usage of these technologies. Of the different SNS, Facebook is the largest in terms of number of users worldwide. Facebook offers different features and always updates with a number of apps, games etc. to entertain the users. Though there are a number of SNS, Facebook has been in the top position for quite a while with the largest user base.

 

Users post their pictures, videos, update status, personal information etc. so that they are visible to their friends and others. Several researchers have studied the usage of Facebook. The studies have shown that different factors like personality factors, privacy, connectedness, usefulness, peer influence etc have significant roles in predicting the usage of Facebook.

 

The focus of this study is to understand the influence of trust and hedonic motivation on the satisfaction and intention to continue the use of Facebook.

 

LITERATURE REVIEW:

Social Networking Sites:

Social networking websites have been defined as “web based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.” (Boyd and Ellison, 2007) The term “social network” traditionally was used to describe an individual’s personal social connections and the social interactions that mostly occur face-to face (Brisetteet.a, 2000) The motive of use of these sites may be broadly classified into entertainment, professional linking, staying connected and even as a marketing tool. Around 2.34 billion social networking users are there worldwide (https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/). In India there are around 200 million active users of Social Networking Sites. The most popular SNS are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, Instagram etc.

 

Facebook is the largest in terms of number of users across the world. Facebook launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, initially was used as an online platform to connect with peers and nears. With the user base expanding, they have different features added to the site and is now used even as a marketing tool by organizations. Even the Government is using Facebook as a tool to communicate to the citizens. There are over 1.79 billion monthly active Facebook users worldwide and India holds 195 million users by the end of 2016.

 

Satisfaction and Continuance Intention:

The Information Systems (IS) Continuance theory, proposed by Bhattacherjee (2001) has been adapted from the literature of consumer behaviour and focuses on the continuance usage of Information Systems. According to the theory, the user’s continuance intention is determined by their satisfaction and the continuance decision is similar to the consumer’s repurchase decisions. The theory is formed from the base of Expectation Confirmation Theory by Oliver (1980). Satisfaction is categorized as an affect which is captured as a positive or negative feeling. The positive feeling represents satisfied and the negative feeling represents dissatisfied. Prior researches have shown that affect is main predictor of intention. Bhattacherjee (2001) has stated in his study that satisfaction with IS use is the strongest predictor of continuance intention. In the case of SNS, it is seen that the number of active users are less than the number of the registered users. Hence the continuance intention is a major concern. Satisfaction is one major factor on the use of SNS. Different SNS provide different features and keep on adding features to make users satisfied and stick on to their sites. Hence we state the hypothesis:

H₁: User’s satisfaction with use of Facebook has a significant influence on their continuance intention to use Facebook.

 

Trust:

Trust is an important concept when Information Technology/Systems are considered. In the recent times, the dependence on online transactions and virtual environment signifies the role of trust. There are many definitions given by researchers for trust based on the context. According to Rousseau et al. (1998), the overall trust concept means secure willingness to depend on a trustee because of that trustee’s perceived characteristics. McKnight (2005) in his study states that trust should influence use/adoption of a technology. He adds further that trust may also influence the belief and attitude that affect the intention to use a technology. Users post their pictures, videos, personal information, status updates etc. in the Facebook, showing a trust in the privacy policies of the site. Waldman (2016) in his case on Facebook points out the role of trust in Facebook and the role of the legal protection when privacy is violated. Researchers have studies the influence of trust on satisfaction and intention in various contexts (Bricciet. Al (2016); Santhanamery and Ramayah (2013) Kim et.al.(2009)).Hence the following hypotheses

H₂: Trust has a significant influence on the satisfaction to use Facebook.

H₃: Trust has a significant influence on the continuance intention to use Facebook.

 

Hedonic Motivation:

Hedonic motivation is defined as the fun or pleasure derived from using a technology. In the case of Facebook, one of the main factors that influence the use is enjoyment. The different apps, games etc provide enjoyment and thus users continue using Facebook due to this perspective. Davis et.al.(1992) has stated the importance of intrinsic motivation including the enjoyment in the intention to use technology. Venaktesh et.al (2012) in their study on consumer use of technology has shown that hedonic motivation has a significant positive influence on intention to use a technology. Bakirtaset.al (2015) has shown that hedonic motivation has a significant influence on satisfaction and behavioural intention in the case of shopping. Praveena and Thomas (2014) has found the influence of enjoyment in the continuance intention to use Facebook. Ariffet.al. (2014) has also shown the positive effect of enjoyment on satisfaction in the case of Social Networking Sites. The following hypotheses is stated:

H₄: Hedonic Motivation has a significant influence on the satisfaction to use Facebook.

H₅: Hedonic Motivation has a significant influence on the continuance intention to use Facebook.

 

The conceptual model is as in the figure 1.

 

METHODOLOGY:

A questionnaire survey was undertaken to meet the aim of the research. The study has chosen Facebook from the different SNS as Facebook is the largest among all SNS in terms of number of users. A sample of 800 was chosen for the study. The analysis is done using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Warp PLS and hence the sample size estimation considered the requirements of SEM.

 

 

Measurement:

Trust was measured using items adapted from Gefen et.al.(2003) andKoufaris et.al.(2004). Hedonic Motivation was measured using items adapted from Venkatesh et.al. (2012). Satisfaction and Continuance intention was measured using items adapted from Bhattacherjee (2001).

 

Analysis:

742 usable questionnaires were used for the analysis after omitting the ones with unfilled data and other errors. The descriptive statistics of the data are as follows.

 

 

Figure 2: Percentage distribution of gender and Age

 

The model was analysed using Warp PLS. The latent variable coefficients are as follows in table 1.

 

 

 

 

Table 1: Latent variable coefficients

 

 

 

Table 2: Square root of AVE values with correlations

 

It can be seen from the table that the composite reliability values are greater than 0.70, which is the acceptable level. Further, the Cronbach’s values are all greater than 0.70, which is the acceptable value (Nunnally, 1978). The AVE values are greater than 0.50, which is the acceptable level. Hence the reliability is ensured. Further from table no 2, it can be seen that the correlation values are less than the square root of the AVE values. Hence the discriminant validity is also ensured.The path coefficients and significance after the SEM in PLS is given in the figure 3.

 

The significance values shows that all the paths are significant (p<0.01), which means that all our hypotheses are accepted. Further it can be seen that R² for Satisfaction is 0.23 and R² for Continuance Intention is 0.38.  Hence, 23% variation in Satisfaction is explained by Trust and Hedonic Motivation while 38% variation in Continuance Intention is explained by Trust, Hedonic Motivation and Satisfaction.

 

Figure 3: SEM model

 

The model fit indices are as given below.

Average path coefficient (APC)=0.272, P<0.001

Average R-squared (ARS)=0.305, P<0.001

Average adjusted R-squared (AARS)=0.302, P<0.001

Average block VIF (AVIF)=1.252, acceptable if <= 5, ideally <= 3.3

Average full collinearity VIF (AFVIF)=1.454, acceptable if <= 5, ideally <= 3.3

TenenhausGoF (GoF)=0.442, small >= 0.1, medium >= 0.25, large >= 0.36

Sympson's paradox ratio (SPR)=1.000, acceptable if >= 0.7, ideally = 1

R-squared contribution ratio (RSCR)=1.000, acceptable if >= 0.9, ideally = 1

Statistical suppression ratio (SSR)=1.000, acceptable if >= 0.7

Nonlinear bivariate causality direction ratio (NLBCDR)=1.000, acceptable if >= 0.7

 

It can be seen from the fit indices that all the values are in the acceptable level and the model shows a good fit. Further a mediation analysis was done to check if satisfaction mediates the relation of Trust and Hedonic Motivation to Continuance intention. A model was created with Trust, Hedonic Motivation and Continuance Intention without satisfaction. The model was tested using SEM. The results are as follows in figure 4

 

 

Figure 4: SEM model without satisfaction

 

It can be seen from figure 3 that both the paths are significant (p<0.01). The results of the figure 4 show that all the paths are significant. Hence by the method of Baron and Kenny (1986), we can say that there is partial mediation. Ie, Satisfaction partially mediates the relationship of both Trust and Hedonic Motivation to Continuance Intention

 

DISCUSSION:

The study intended to explain the role of trust and hedonic motivation in determining the satisfaction and continuance intention to use Facebook. The results of the study shows that trust and hedonic motivation are significant predictors of satisfaction and continuance intention and satisfaction has a significant influence on the continuance intention to use Facebook. The study sides in hand with the information system continuance theory by Bhattacherjee (2001). Satisfaction has a significant influence on the continuance intention. The study has focused on the intention to use Facebook, a Social Networking Site. It is seen that Hedonic Motivation is the main predictor of Continuance Intention here. This is evident because one of the main reasons of using Facebook is the element of enjoyment. The perceived enjoyment is found to be one of the main predictors in the intention to use information systems in many studies (Bataineh, 2015; Pornsakulvanich and Dumrongsiri, 2013; Suki and Suki, 2011). Facebook, with its varied features and apps provide enjoyment to their users and thus continue to add the number of active users to their site.

 

Another factor which is a main determinant in case of information systems, particularly online is Trust. In the case of SNS, trust is an important factor as users reveal their personal information in these sites. Facebook allows the user to create profiles with their personal information, post pictures and videos, update status and location, their personal views etc. Users believe on the privacy and sharing policies of Facebook and hence trust is found to be a significant factor in this study in the satisfaction as well as the continuous intention to use Facebook. The study supports the works of the researchers where trust has been found to be a significant factor in the usage of online technologies (Lankton et.al, 2011; Hsiao et.al, 2010; Gefen et.al, 2003).

 

CONCLUSION:

The study has explained the role of trust and hedonic motivation in the satisfaction and continuance intention to use Facebook.  The information systems continuance theory states that satisfaction is a main predictor of continuance intention. The present study has shown that trust and hedonic motivation are predictors of both satisfaction and continuance intention in the case of Facebook. Further, the results show that Hedonic motivation is the strongest predictor among these in predicting the continuance intention. Satisfaction partially mediates the relation of trust and hedonic motivation with continuance intention.

 

LIMITATIONS AND SCOPE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH:

The study has focused only on the users of Facebook and hence the results may be limited to such types of SNS alone. Further the study being a cross sectional one, hasn’t taken into account the long term usage pattern. Future research can choose other SNS and do a comparative study. A longitudinal study with the same factors can reveal better results.

 

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Received on 13.09.2017                Modified on 13.11.2017

Accepted on 20.12.2017       © A&V Publications All right reserved