A study of the social networking website service in digital content industries: The Facebook case in Taiwan

Highlights

• We examine antecedents of SNS continuance intention.

• We extend DeLone and McLean work with social motives and private information service.

• Both user satisfaction and social interaction affect SNS continuance intention.

• Private information service is more important among other antecedent factors.

Abstract

In recent years, a social networking service (SNS) not only thrives in digital content industries but also functions as a platform that focuses on facilitating the building of social interactions among people. Based on the DeLone and McLean model (2003), this study develops a modified model to examine the effect of the three website technology characteristics on user satisfaction, benefits of social interaction, and continuance usage. Based on a survey of 346 participants, the study uses a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach as the research model to investigate the above issues. The results provide an expanded understanding of the factors that measure SNS success. The results also indicate that system quality, information quality and privacy protection service had a significant effect on the continuance usage of a SNS in relation to user satisfaction and benefits of social interaction. In conclusion, implications of the research and practice are discussed, as well as future research directions; furthermore, research finding implies that psychological rather than technical factors are more important in digital content industries. Privacy protection and the increased benefits of social networking can ensure better website services.

Introduction

In the era of a digital economy, a social networking service (SNS) has been booming over the past decade. A SNS is a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, as well as allow for the creation and exchange of user-generated content (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). A SNS includes social software that mediates human interaction and communication, including social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and MySpace. More specifically, a SNS is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people who share interests, activities, or real-life connections. SNSs allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks. Since the boom of SNS popularity during the late 2000s, SNSs have become some of the most powerful sources for news updates via platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Table 1 shows the services stacked up against competitors through the end of 2011 (Eldon, 2011).

HWeb 2.0 is the system that facilitates participatory information sharing and collaboration on the Internet for SNSs like Facebook and MySpace. Despite its positive aspects, the advent of the Web 2.0 has also led to social profiling and growing concern in regards to Internet privacy. Many people are giving out their personal information on the Internet via SNSs. (Dwyer et al., 2007, Shin, 2010). These SNSs keep track of all interactions on their websites and save them for later use, which can lead to issues such as cyber stalking, location disclosure, social profiling and third-party personal information disclosure.

Today, social networking sites continue to grow in popularity, with the majority of educated youth using these services. For these individuals, these websites have played a crucial role in bridging interpersonal boundaries, encouraging international communication, and enabling communication on a common platform. These websites have become a method for these individuals to stay in contact with existing friends and to expand their social circle. However, the information safety and privacy issues of SNSs remain potential threats that continue to cause concern and raise questions. Therefore, applying a modified D&M model, this study examines how information privacy impacts the benefits of social interaction, user satisfaction and continuance usage. The model of choice here has received much attention among researchers, and it provides a foundation for research in the SNS domain (Joiner, 2004, Lin, 2007, Petter et al., 2008).

This study contributes a model of continuance usage of a SNS and applies it to examine the post-usage factors influencing continuance usage. The proposed model takes into account the distinctions between acceptance and continuance decisions, thus additional explanatory variables are needed beyond the D&M model. The research questions addressed in this paper are:

• Q1. What are the salient factors that determine continuance usage of the SNS?

• Q2. How do the technology characteristic constructs (i.e., system quality, information quality, and privacy protection service) influence behavior?

• Q3. How does user satisfaction and the benefits of social interaction enhance the explanatory power of the D&M model in predicting continuance usage of the SNS?