A Model of Factors Influencing Continuance Intention and Actual Usage of Self-Hosted Software Solutions

Luka Hrgarek () and Lili Nemec Zlatolas
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Luka Hrgarek: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Lili Nemec Zlatolas: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-43

Abstract: In an increasingly centralized digital society, the widespread reliance on third-party cloud services has heightened user concerns about data privacy and control, driving a significant movement toward self-hosted solutions. This study investigates factors influencing continued use of self-hosting, proposing an extended research model that combines classic TAM constructs with domain-specific factors like perceived autonomy, privacy concerns, perceived trust, personal innovativeness and perceived enjoyment. A quantitative survey was conducted with n = 2158 active self-hosting users, and the data was analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings reveal that perceived enjoyment, perceived autonomy and perceived usefulness are the most significant positive drivers of continuance intention, confirming that intrinsic satisfaction and the desire for control are powerful motivators for sustained engagement. The study also found that the relationship between intention and usage is significantly moderated by perceived competence, highlighting that a user’s technical skill strengthens the link between their intent and actual use. The research offers key insights for developers and policymakers and contributes to academic discourse on sustained technology use by providing a validated measurement scale for self-hosted software usage and underscoring the importance of user empowerment and an enjoyable experience to foster the sustained engagement of decentralized digital solutions essential for the socio-technical sustainability of the digital society.

Keywords: self-hosting; technology acceptance; digital sovereignty; socio-technical sustainability; continuance intention; perceived enjoyment; perceived autonomy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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