Exploring seniors’ continuance intention to use mobile social network sites in China: a cognitive-affective-conative model

Abstract

With the rapid increase of senior users in mobile social network sites (MSNS), how to attract and maintain seniors’ continuous usage is more and more important for the social network sites to keep their competitiveness. The purpose of this study is to disclose the cognitive-affective-conative process of seniors’ MSNS continuous using intention. Using data from 374 WeChat senior respondents, the integrated model was developed based on expectation-confirmation model of information system continuance, perceived ease of use, emotional attachment and related explanatory variables, and validated in the Chinese context. The results indicated that: (1) Satisfaction and emotional attachment play partly and full mediator role between the perceived usefulness, confirmation of expectation, perceived ease of use and continuance intention. In addition, perceived usefulness is directly positively associated with continuance intention; (2) Emotional attachment has the largest association with continuance intention in all the factors; (3) Satisfaction, relatedness need satisfaction and competence need satisfaction are positively associated with emotional attachment, and the relatedness need satisfaction has the strongest association among these three factors; (4) Unexpectedly, autonomy need satisfaction has no significant association with emotional attachment and the effect of declining physiological conditions has no significant association with perceived ease of use. This research enriches the existing work by explaining the underlying cognitive-affective-conative process of seniors’ MSNS continuance using. It also provides guidance to keep the loyalty of senior users for MSNS practitioners.