The mobile internet enables users to access the internet through mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablet computers, and is experiencing rapid adoption throughout the world. According to a report issued by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) in January 2014, the number of mobile internet users in China reached 500 million, accounting for 81% of its internet population (618 million) (CNNIC, 2014). A few services, such as mobile instant messaging, mobile search, mobile social network services (SNS) and mobile games, are very popular among users and can be categorized into four types: communication, information, entertainment and transaction. As a communication application, mobile SNS have been widely adopted by users (an acceptance rate of 30.9%) (CNNIC, 2014). However, successfully acquiring users and promoting the initial adoption and usage is only half the task facing service providers. If users discontinue their usage of a service after its initial adoption, service providers will not be able to recover the investment spent launching their product. Research indicates that the cost of acquiring a new customer is five times that of retaining an existing customer (Reichheld & Schefter, 2000). In addition, there is intense competition between mobile SNS providers for customers. The three leading mobile SNS providers in China are WeChat, Renren, and Kaixin, which offer similar services and features in trying to expand their user base. However, if they cannot retain users, they will fail to maintain their competitive advantage. Another complication for SNS providers arises because switching costs are inexpensive for mobile users. This makes it relatively easy for users to switch from a mobile SNS platform to an alternative one.
Mobile networks and devices allow mobile SNS users to connect to their friends and peers around the clock and from almost anywhere. Hence, they can post messages, share pictures and track their friends’ status at their own convenience. As a member of social networks, an individual’s behavior may receive influences from other actors. For example, when a user’s friends or peers recommend that she or he should use a specific mobile SNS platform, the user may comply with the opinions and expectations offered, although he or she lacks a positive attitude toward the platform. In social influence theory, this is called the compliance process (Kelman, 1958). In addition to compliance, two other processes, identification and internalization, may also affect user behavior. Identification means that users accept influences in order to build a satisfying, self-defining relationship with another person or group (Malhotra & Galletta, 2003), while internalization means that users incorporate the opinions of others into their own beliefs. Another issue that may affect mobile SNS user behavior is privacy concern, which is due to the fact that SNS providers have collected large amounts of information on users, such as demographic information and user preferences. Furthermore, service providers can also use location-based technologies to obtain location information on users, raising concerns about risks to their privacy, which can decrease their intention to continue using an SNS.
Extant research has examined user adoption of SNS from multiple perspectives, such as perceived value (Kim, Gupta, & Koh, 2011), motivational theory (Lin & Lu, 2011), sense of community (Zhang, 2010), and user experience (Zhou, Li, & Liu, 2010). Motivations such as perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and perceived value have been identified as factors affecting user behavior. However, as a member of social networks, individual user behavior may be influenced by the group norm and other members’ opinions. In addition, the user behavior may also be affected by privacy concerns associated with information disclosure. By integrating both the perspectives of social influence and privacy concern, this research examines the continuance usage of mobile SNS. Social influence includes three processes: compliance, identification and internalization, which are represented by subjective norm, social identity and group norm, respectively. These three factors and privacy concern are proposed to affect continuance usage.
The rest of this paper is organized as follows. The research model and hypotheses are presented in the next section. Section three describes the instrument development and the collection of the data. The results are presented in section four, which is followed by a discussion in section five. Section six presents the implications and limitations.
