An empirical study on continuance intention of mobile social networking services : Integrating the IS success model, network externalities and flow theory

Purpose – Users' continuance intention is vital to the future of mobile social networking service (SNS) with rapid development and intensive competitions among its providers. The purpose of this research is to identify the factors affecting mobile SNS users' continuance intention. Design/methodology/approach – Data from an online survey administered to 228 mobile SNS users are used to test the research model through the use of structural equation modelling. Findings – The results show that flow, perceived usefulness and satisfaction determine continuance intention of mobile SNS. Moreover, the authors found that referent network size and perceived complementarity are the main factors affecting flow, whereas information quality is the main factor affecting perceived usefulness. Only system quality significantly affects satisfaction. Practical implications – The results imply that mobile service providers need to take the functional characteristics of the mobile SNS (e.g. system quality and information quality), network externalities (referent network size and perceived complementarity) and flow experience into consideration when encouraging users' continuance intention towards mobile SNS. Originality/value – Extant research has focused on initial adoption and usage of mobile SNS and has seldom considered post-adoption usage, which is critical to mobile service providers' success. This research tries to fill the gap by examining continuance intention to use mobile SNS. The theory embedded within the IS success model, network externalities and flow theory articulated that these three research domains can be integrated to better understand the factors that influence mobile SNS users' continuance intention.