The Effect of Presentation Characteristics of “Quantified Self” Data on Consumers’ Continuance Participation Intention: An Empirical Study Based on Health-Related Apps

Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly influenced the health and lifestyles of individuals. Increasing numbers of consumers now participate in quantified self (QS) process to learn more about their health-related behaviors. Understanding how to increase consumers’ QS continuance participation intention is critical. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Construal Theory, this study investigates how the presentation characteristics of QS data and consumers’ self-construal can influence their continuance participation intention during QS process.

Methods

Three between-subjects scenario simulation experiments were conducted to examine the influence mechanisms of the presentation mode and type of QS data and self-construal on consumers’ continuance participation intention.

Results

The study found: (1) the presentation mode (horizontal comparison vs vertical comparison) and type (descriptive vs analytic) of QS data had significant interaction effects on consumers’ continuance participation intention; (2) consumers’ self-construal (interdependent vs independent) and the presentation mode of QS data had obvious interaction effects on their continuance participation intention; and (3) consumers’ self-construal and the presentation type of QS data had interaction influences on their continuance participation intention.

Conclusion

This research combined Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Construal Theory to analyze the influence mechanisms of the presentation characteristics of QS data and consumers’ self-construal on their continuance participation intention. These findings not only expand the research field and the scope of application of Social Cognitive Theory, but also provide new insights for the study of consumers’ QS problems. They have reference value for the optimization of the presentation features of QS data, and for improving the match between QS data presentation and consumers’ self-construal types, to motivate continued participation in QS process.

Keywords:

• continuance participation intention
• data presentation
• quantified self
• self-construal

Abbreviations

QS, quantified self; CR, composite reliability; AVE, average variance extracted.

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets supporting the conclusions of this study are available upon request to the corresponding author.

Ethics Approval and Informed Consent

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Zhejiang Gongshang University. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Consent for Publication

All authors agreed with the publication of this manuscript.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the participants and volunteers who provided support for this study.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the key project of National Social Science Foundation of China [grant number: 20AGL019].