Abstract

Over the past decade, mobile devices such as cellular phones and tablet computers have become an essential part of our lives. Mobile devices outsold personal computers for the first time in 2011 and users spend more time with mobile apps than the Internet. Although mobile apps are growing popularity, a number of questions remain to be addressed concerning the usage of mobile apps: What factors contribute to mobile apps usage intentions and how personal traits impact the actual mobile apps usage?

This paper classified mobile apps usage motivations into extrinsic, intrinsic and social motives according to user’s variety of personal use of mobile apps. Based on literature review, mobile apps users’ intrinsic motives (i.e., flow theory), extrinsic motives (i.e., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) and social motives (i.e., social influences) should impact on usage intentions. This study, applying the technology readiness (TR) concept as personal consumer traits, investigates how the four TR constructs (i.e., innovativeness, optimism, discomfort and insecurity) affect the actual usage intensity of mobile apps. This study further proposes the moderating effect of innovativeness on the relationship between extrinsic motives and mobile apps usage intentions.

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