An exploratory study on users' resistance to mobile app updates: Using netnography and fsQCA

Shihui Fu, Kunkun Xue, Mengya Yang and Xiaona Wang

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2023, vol. 191, issue C

Abstract: Mobile app providers are increasingly enhancing customer value through mobile app updates (MAUs). However, such an approach may induce user resistance, which has already been quite prevalent among users today. This study investigates why users might resist updating mobile apps. First, a netnography study conducted in the context of four online communities in China identified seven barriers that are closely related to users' resistance to MAUs, i.e., perceived uselessness, usage pattern conflict, information overload, interrupted experience, psychological reactance, skepticism, and inertia. Then, we conduct a configurational study based on fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to examine combinations of the barriers for different forms of users' resistance to MAUs, namely postponement, rejection, and opposition. The analysis was based on survey data collected from 312 mobile app users in China. The results suggest that the role of a certain barrier varies depending on accompanying barriers in determining users' intention to resistance. The results also reveal that configurations for the three forms of users' resistance to MAUs differ significantly. These observations helped to generate propositions on the dynamics between different barriers in explaining users' resistance to MAUs. Overall, the study provides new insights into the limited understanding of the reasons underlying users' resistance to MAUs.

Keywords: User resistance; Mobile app updates; Barriers; Netnography; Configurations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:191:y:2023:i:c:s0040162523001646

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122479

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