Paper Type
Complete
Paper Number
PACIS2026-1790
Description
User discontinuation has become a persistent concern for social media and messaging platforms, particularly as privacy practices evolve and attract greater user scrutiny. This study develops and tests a cognition–affect–conation (C-A-C) framework explaining discontinuation intention in a messaging-platform context. Based on survey data from 205 WhatsApp users, we examine how privacy-related cognitive appraisals, privacy invasion and distrust, relate to distinct affective responses (dissatisfaction and regret) and, ultimately, discontinuation intention. The findings indicate that privacy invasion and distrust are positively associated with dissatisfaction and regret, and that both affective responses are positively associated with discontinuation intention. By distinguishing dissatisfaction and regret as separate emotional pathways, this study provides a more fine-grained account of privacy-driven disengagement and offers actionable insights for platform design, including strengthened privacy controls and trust-supporting features. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Shahpasandi, Forough and Farooq, Ali, "From Privacy Invasion to Discontinuation: A Cognition–Affect–Conation Model in Messaging Platforms" (2026). PACIS 2026 Proceedings. 11.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2026/dig_sec/dig_sec/11
From Privacy Invasion to Discontinuation: A Cognition–Affect–Conation Model in Messaging Platforms
User discontinuation has become a persistent concern for social media and messaging platforms, particularly as privacy practices evolve and attract greater user scrutiny. This study develops and tests a cognition–affect–conation (C-A-C) framework explaining discontinuation intention in a messaging-platform context. Based on survey data from 205 WhatsApp users, we examine how privacy-related cognitive appraisals, privacy invasion and distrust, relate to distinct affective responses (dissatisfaction and regret) and, ultimately, discontinuation intention. The findings indicate that privacy invasion and distrust are positively associated with dissatisfaction and regret, and that both affective responses are positively associated with discontinuation intention. By distinguishing dissatisfaction and regret as separate emotional pathways, this study provides a more fine-grained account of privacy-driven disengagement and offers actionable insights for platform design, including strengthened privacy controls and trust-supporting features. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.
Comments
08-Security