The involvement paradox. The role of cognitive absorption in mobile instant messaging user satisfaction
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-06-2018-0245 |
| Published date | 13 May 2019 |
| Date | 13 May 2019 |
| Pages | 881-901 |
| Author | Avus C.Y. Hou,Wen-Lung Shiau,Rong-An Shang |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information systems,Data management systems,Knowledge management,Knowledge sharing,Management science & operations,Supply chain management,Supply chain information systems,Logistics,Quality management/systems |
The involvement paradox
The role of cognitive absorption in mobile
instant messaging user satisfaction
Avus C.Y. Hou
Department of Marketing and Distribution Management,
Oriental Institute of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan
Wen-Lung Shiau
Department of Business Administration,
Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China, and
Rong-An Shang
Department of Business Administration, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan
Abstract
Purpose –Can mobile instant messaging (MIM) make people entering into the state of cognitive absorption
(CA)? The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether CA can help explain users’satisfaction during the
process of MIM, while interactivity and interest are operated as determinants of CA as well as directly
associated with satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach –This study proposes a satisfaction model that is adapted from the CA
theory to investigate MIMs users’satisfaction with two determinants, interactivity and interest. Specifically,
CA is operated as a second-order formative construct with four reflective dimensions, including curiosity,
focused immersion, heightened enjoyment and temporal dissociation. Partial least square structural equation
modeling was applied to evaluate the causal links of the model with the data collected from 472 LINE users
who all had long using experience.
Findings –The results showed that CA in MIM, fueled by interactivity and interest, is positively related to
satisfaction. Interactivity and interest themselves were also significantly associated with satisfaction. Among
them, interactivity has the most influence on satisfaction, followed by interest and CA. Surprised, curiosity
and focused immersion did not formative CA in MIM.
Research limitations/implications –The present study focuses on user satisfaction of a specific MIM
(LINE) and collects data from users within a specific region (Taiwan). Other researchers must take these
constrains into consideration when referencing this study.
Originality/value –To the best of the authors’knowledge, this is the first study which confirmed that
people still enter into the state of CA when using MIM on smartphone, even though the using environment is
drastically different from that on desktop. It indicates that prior theories in CA with desktop-based software
are still applicable and serve as a basis for more studies in the mobile context to a certain extent, but other
factors should also be considered. As interactivity and interest are conducive to CA, leading to user
satisfaction, an MIM app can be more popular if the two factors are incorporated.
Keywords Interactivity, Interest, Cognitive absorption, Mobile instant messaging (MIM),
Second-order construct
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Mobile instant messaging (MIM) is a smartphone-based communication app that has been
thrivingalong with the development of mobiletechnology. MIMs enable peopleto connect and
socialize with each other through a variety of functions at low costs, while having no time
constraint (Deng, Lu, Wei and Zhang, 2010; Sun et al., 2017). Over time, MIMs has evolved
beyond simply beinga communication app. Some MIMs are now providing a variety of other
services, including news, TV showsand e-payment (Statista, 2016a,b). People use this type of
MIMs not only to interact with their peers,but also to look for information, topics and people
that they are interested in. According to a survey report, by the end of 2017, the number of
MIM app users in Asia Pacific has reached 1.03bn users, which made MIM the top-ranked
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 119 No. 4, 2019
pp. 881-901
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/IMDS-06-2018-0245
Received 11 June 2018
Revised 29 September 2018
Accepted 24 October 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
881
The
involvement
paradox
smartphoneapplication (Statista,2018b). Checking new messagesis one of the first things that
people do every day after they wake up (Deloitte, 2015).
Why are MIMs becoming so attractive to people? According to Agarwal and Karahanna
(2000), users can experience a state of cognitive absorption (CA) when they are deeply
involved in information technology (IT). CA drives users to repeat their involvement in this
particular IT in the hopes to acquire the optimal experience of CA again. For example, CA
enhances students’satisfaction with online learning (Saadé and Bahli, 2005), positively
affects users’continued usage of social media (Hsu and Lin, 2017), enhances consumers’
satisfaction with applications of smartphone (Tan et al., 2015) and influences purchase
intention on two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) technique-based websites
(Visinescu et al., 2015). Once users enter into the state of CA, they tend to be satisfied with
the current results and will continual usage intention of IT. By the same token, MIM, a
mobile-specific IT, has a potential to trigger CA and lead to satisfaction.
MIMs, coined by Deloitte (2014) as “instant messaging services on mobile phones,”evolved
over time and many now have desktop versions. An MIM operating on a desktop can be
regarded as any other computer software in terms of its ability to engage users. However,
smartphone, the vehicle on which MIMs initially debuted and then thrived, seemed to be
characterized by limitations that are not conducive for users to enter into the state of CA
(Oghumaet al., 2016). It is madesmall in size forportability, but smallsize also meanconstrains
its features and input methods (Zhou and Lu, 2011). For example, users must constantly scroll
down the screen to examine the content sin ce smartphone screen is usually small, or they must
pay extra attention when typing since virtual keyboard is small and difficult to key-in with.
Smartphone is also ubiquitous and capable providing immediate communication, but then
people get used to use smartphones in fragments of time and are often multi-tasking. These
smartphone-induced behaviors seem to negate the conditions needed to enter into CA, which
has the potential to be translated into more business opportunities (Goel et al., 2011). It is a
challenge for any MIM operators to engage users to the extent of inducing CA in them,
especially the switching barrier of MIM is rather low (Sun et al., 2017).
Given the popularity of MIMs, it is reasonable to assume that the user experience is
satisfactory,but prior studies have not yet identifiedwhether the satisfaction is resultedfrom
CA or other determinants (Deng,Lu, Wei and Zhang, 2010; Gan andLi, 2015; Hsiao et al., 2016;
Lien et al., 2017; Oghuma et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2012). This study thus aims at filling the
knowledge gaps to explore the relationship between CA in MIM and user satisfaction by
providing a satisfaction framework to investigate MIM customer experiences.
Interactivity and interest, two determinants that connect CA with user satisfaction, are
utilized to structure the framework. Interactivity has been proved as a key feature of
computer-mediated communication (CMC). The higher the interactivity, the higher the
degree of satisfaction (Ha et al., 2015; Lien et al., 2017). It is similar with mobile phone-
interactivity generated by communication through MIM apps urges users to concentrate on
the app they are using (Hoffman and Novak, 2009; Kaur et al., 2016). In scenarios other than
communication, interest becomes the factor that MIMs leverage to continue holding users’
concentration. Some MIMs have developed more functions, serving as a platform where
users can easily access friends, information and topics that they might be interested in (Wu
et al., 2014). Users can personalize their MIM account based on their preference, and thus
become more adhesive to the MIM. By providing services other than communication, these
platform-like MIMs cater to the interests of users and thus can engage them for longer
periods of time. The present study attempts to address the following research questions:
RQ1. Whether CA occurs when people are using MIM?
RQ2. Do interactivity and interest operate as the antecedents of CA in MIM as well as
associate with satisfaction?
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