Social influence in technology adoption: taking stock and moving forward

Lorenz Graf-Vlachy (), Katharina Buhtz and Andreas König
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Lorenz Graf-Vlachy: University of Passau
Katharina Buhtz: University of Passau
Andreas König: University of Passau

Management Review Quarterly, 2018, vol. 68, issue 1, No 3, 37-76

Abstract: Abstract Social influence has been shown to profoundly affect human behavior in general and technology adoption in particular. Over time, multiple definitions and measures of social influence have been introduced to the field of technology adoption research, contributing to an increasingly fragmented landscape of constructs that challenges the conceptual integrity of the field. Consequently, this paper sets out to review how social influence has been conceptualized in technology adoption research. In so doing, this paper attempts to inform researchers’ understanding of the construct, reconcile its myriad conceptualizations, constructively challenge extant approaches, and provide impulses for future research. A systematic review of the salient literature uncovers that extant interpretations of social influence are (1) predominantly compliance-based and as such risk overlooking identification- and internalization-based effects; (2) primarily targeted at the individual level and non-social technologies, thereby precluding the impact of socially enriched environments; and (3) heavily reliant on survey-based and US/China-centric samples, which jeopardizes the generalizability and predictive validity of the findings. Building upon these insights, this paper develops an integrated perspective on social influence in technology adoption research that encourages scholars to pursue a multi-theoretical understanding of social influence at the interface of users, social referents, and technology.

Keywords: Social influence; Subjective norm; Technology adoption; Technology acceptance model; Information systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A12 O32 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11301-017-0133-3

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