Abstract
The herd behavior of technology users, i.e., adopters observe the decisions (but not the reasoning) of prior adopters and imitate their system usage behaviors, is prominentin the information technology (IT) industry. However, such en mass adoptions areprone to be fragile. Adopters may reverse their decisions, after an initial adoption, andabandon system use when updated contradictory information is presented. This phenomenon of herd-like abandonment, at both individual and organizational levels, is significant and requires more investigation, since it is connected to the durability of particular products and technologies in the marketplace. In addition, IS behaviors of users at the later phases of IS life cycle, i.e., termination phase, are the primary source of benefit for organizations. This study develops and empirically validates a theoretical model of IS abandonment in a herding context. We test our model via a longitudinal research design, which surveys adopters at two different points in time. The study examines the determinants of adopters’ abandonment intentions, which occure specially after an initial en mass adoption (i.e., a herding setting). Results suggest that post-adoptive task-technology fit, perceptions of niche, and observation of a criticalmass of abandoners are all salient factors affecting IS abandonment intentions.
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Notes
Please note that we did not include the “discounting own information” construct in our herding model. This construct acts as a moderating factor and does directly associate with our outcome variable [73]. Hence, we only focused on “imitating others,” statistically controlling the potential effect of “discounting own information.”.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
1.1 Herd Simulation
1.1.1 Time 1 (Adoption Stage)
To create the situation for herding, the information should depict “how many adopters there are and who specifically has adopted the innovation” [38, p. 56].
The participants receive a message that not only states that Ello has been used by a lot of people, but also specifies some famous adopters. The treatment messages were composed based on information from Ello’s website and Mashable (a technology and social media blog).
The following message appears:
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(a)
Number
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(a)
Ello is getting 40,000 sign-ups per hour. The beginning of a mass migration from Facebook to another Ello (Forbes).
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(a)
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(b)
Identity
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(a)
Some major companies in such as Apple, AUDI, Acura, McDonald, Domino’s, Taco Bell, Dr. Pepper, Harley-Davidson.
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(b)
Here are some celebrity Ello users: Rihanna, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ashley Greene, Blake Lively, Jared Leto.
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(a)
1.2 Treatment
1.2.1 Time 2 (Post-Adoption Stage)
In order to study the effect of the mass of abandoners on post-adoption decision of individuals, we manipulate the magnitude of prior abandonments. A message was sent to the treatment group about the number of prior adopters of Ello who chose to stop using it and uses other alternatives. The treatment message provided a smaller number of abandoners, compared to the number of adopters in the simulation message (i.e., Time 1).
Appendix 2
2.1 Questionnaire Items
Please complete the following:
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Age: _____ Years
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Gender: M F
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Education level:
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Prior Experience: adapted from Kim and Malhotra [53]
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How long have you been using Ello? (Never heard about it, Heard but never used it before, less than 1 months, 1 to less than 3 months, 3 to less than 6 months, 6 months or more).
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Imitating others (IMI): adapted from Sun [73]
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IMI1. I will follow others in accepting Ello.
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IMI2. It is a good idea to follow others in using Ello.
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IMI3. I like the idea of adopting Ello, since others are also using it.
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IMI4. It seems that Ello is the dominant social networking website; therefore, I would like to use it as well.
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Per-Adoptive and Post Task-technology fit (TTF): will be measured at both t1 and t2 (adapted from Goodhue and Thompson [42] and Jarupathirun and Zahedi [50]).
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TTF1. Ello’s functions are very adequate.
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TTF2. Ello’s functions are very appropriate for social networking.
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TTF3. Ello’s functions are very useful for social networking.
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TTF4. Ello’s functions are very compatible with social networking.
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TTF5. Ello’s functions are very helpful.
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TTF6. Ello’s functions are very sufficient.
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TTF7. Ello’s functions make social networking very easy.
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TTF8. In general, Ello’s functions fit social networking.
2.2 Time-2 Survey Items
2.2.1 Ello Usage (Screening) Items
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Ell1. How many followers do you have on Ello?
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Ell2. How many Ello accounts do you follow?
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Ell3. How many times you have posted on Ello?
Perceived Niche (NCH): Self-developed.
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NCH1. Ello is designed for a specific cluster of SNS users.
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NCH2. Ello is distinct from other SNSs.
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NCH3. Other more popular SNSs are not similar to Ello.
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NCH4. There are characteristics that are specific to Ello.
Intention to Abandonment (ABD): adapted from Turel [74]
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ABD1. I intend to abandon my use of Ello.
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ABD2. I plan to stop using Ello.
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ABD3. I predict that I would stop using Ello in the future.
2.3 Control Variables
2.3.1 Subjective Norm: Two aspects
Aspect one: Descriptive Norm (DN) (adapted from Hagger and Chatzisarantis [44]).
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DN1. Most of my friends are using Ello.
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DN2. Most of my co-workers are using Ello.
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DN3. Most people I know are using Ello.
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DN4. Most people who are important to me use Ello.
Aspect two: Injunctive Norm (IN) (adapted from Rhodes and Courneya [66]).
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IN1. Most people in my social circle want me to use Ello.
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IN2. Most people in my social circle approve of my using Ello.
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IN3. Most people who are important to me want me to use Ello.
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IN4. Most people I know think I should use Ello.
Network Effects (NE): adapted from Sun [73]
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NE1. The more people use Ello, the more valuable it is to users.
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NE2. By adopting Ello, I would help increase its value to other users.
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NE3. My adoption of Ello would make it more useful for people I know who already use it.
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NE4. I hope that more people will adopt Ello because that will increase the value of Ello to me.
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NE5. Ello will be more useful if more people adopt it.
Discounting Own Information (DOI): adapted from Sun [73]
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DOI1. My acceptance of Ello would not reflect my own preferences for social networking apps.
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DOI2. If I were to use Ello for social networking, I wouldn’t be making the decision based on my own research and information.
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DOI3: If I did not know that a lot of people have already accepted Ello, I might choose another social networking app.
2.4 Time 2-Manipulation Check Items
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MCH2-1. I am aware that a lot of people have stopped using Ello.
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MCH2-2. I am aware that Ello has been abandoned by a lot of well-known prior users.
2.5 Bogus Items
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1.
I have been to every country in the world.
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2.
I have never brushed my teeth.
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3.
All my friends are aliens.
Appendix 3
See Table 4.
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Darban, M., Kim, M. & Koksal, A. When the technology abandonment intentions remitted: the case of herd behavior. Inf Technol Manag 22, 163–178 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10799-021-00329-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10799-021-00329-5