A Maslow's hierarchy of needs analysis of social networking services continuance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply Maslow's hierarchy of needs to extend the expectation‐confirmation model of information systems continuance (ECM‐IS) to analyze users' continuance intention of social networking services (SNSs). Design/methodology/approach – A survey is conducted on 202 users of social networking services in China. Findings – Fulfillment of self‐actualization needs has a significant impact on continuance intention; however, the direct impact of fulfillment of social needs on continuance intention is not significant but fully mediated by satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – The first limitation is that the participants in the sample are undergraduates. Second, this study has used cross‐sectional survey data to empirically test the model. Third, the survey is conducted in a single country. Practical implications – The results of this paper provide several marketing implications to better manage SNSs. First, SNS managers should enhance instant communication functions, develop a platform that is convenient for users to express themselves and provide more entertainment functions. Second, SNS managers should focus on users' expectations and experiences about website functions and adjust or update website functions accordingly. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the research on continuance intention of social networking services from the perspective of Maslow's hierarchy of needs to capture motivations of continuance intention. The authors believe their conceptualizations of fulfillment of self‐actualization needs and fulfillment of social needs, as well as their substantial findings, would be useful to researchers and practitioners alike to better study and manage continuance intention of socially‐oriented online services.