User Acceptance of Technology in Information Systems
Summary
User acceptance of technology in information systems explores the factors that motivate or inhibit individuals from adopting new digital tools and services in organisational, commercial and social settings. Early efforts centred on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which emphasises perceived usefulness and ease of use. Subsequent integrative frameworks such as the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and its extension UTAUT2 have incorporated additional determinants—performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions—alongside newer constructs like hedonic motivation, price value, trust and habit. Moderating variables including age, gender, experience, cultural dimensions and situational stressors (for example pandemic-related fear or uncertainty avoidance) have been shown to shape behavioural intention and actual usage. Advances in structural equation modelling and meta-analysis have strengthened the empirical foundation of these models, yielding insights across diverse domains such as e-government platforms, mobile applications, learning management systems and sharing-economy services. Understanding these interrelated factors is essential for designing user-centred technologies, informing policy for digital inclusion and optimising implementation strategies worldwide.
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User Acceptance of Technology in Information Systems publication trend
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Technical terms
Behavioural intention: An individual’s reported likelihood to perform the action of using a technology.
Performance expectancy: The degree to which a user believes that using a technology will improve job or task performance.
Effort expectancy: The perceived ease associated with the use of a technology.
Social influence: The extent to which users perceive that important others believe they should use a technology.
Facilitating conditions: The degree to which an individual believes that organisational and technical infrastructure supports system use.
Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT): An integrative framework combining multiple adoption models to explain user acceptance and usage behaviour.
Structural Equation Modelling (SEM): A statistical technique for testing and estimating causal relationships using a combination of statistical data and qualitative causal assumptions.
References
- Analyzing effect of fear and uncertainty avoidance on use behavior of learning management system: Post COVID-19 era. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights (2023).
- Re-examining the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT): Towards a Revised Theoretical Model. Information Systems Frontiers (2017).
- Consumer Acceptance and Use of Information Technology: A Meta-Analytic Evaluation of UTAUT2. Information Systems Frontiers (2020).
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