Antecedents of level of social media use: exploring the mediating effect of usefulness, attitude and satisfaction

ABSTRACT

This research aims to examine the relationship between antecedents of a proposed extended technology acceptance model (TAM) and level of social media use. It also tests the mediation effect of usefulness, attitude and satisfaction on level of social media use. The model is tested based on empirical work in the form of a large scale survey conducted on a convenience sample of Egyptian social media users. Data collection resulted in 413 usable questionnaires. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling was used to analyze data. Results indicate that perceived enjoyment, connectedness, and trust were found to have a significant impact on level of social media use. Both perceived usefulness and attitude were found to be significant mediators in the proposed extended TAM. Additionally, satisfaction was found to have a significant direct positive effect on level of social media use, but was not confirmed as a significant mediator. Findings provide support to the proposed model, thus confirming the significance of the proposed variables in the extended TAM, as well as the mediators being perceived usefulness and attitude, when studying antecedents of level of social media use.

KEYWORDS:

• Social media
• level of use
• antecedents
• emerging market
• extended Tam

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rania S. Hussein

Rania S. Hussein is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Business School in The American University in Cairo, and Cairo University. She was awarded her MBA degree from Georgia State University, USA in 2001 and her PhD degree from The University of Nottingham, UK in 2010. She is a Fulbright scholar and has conducted joint research with George Washington University in 2014.  Her research interests include internet marketing, social media and innovation adoption. She has published a book on Adoption of Web based Marketing in the travel industry with Lambert Academic Publishing in 2011. Her research appears in journals such as Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Online Information Review, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, the International Journal of Marketing and Management Research and the International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management.

Hassan Mohamed

Hassan Mohamed is in Hull university Business School, Faculty of Business, Law, and Politics, University of Hull, United Kingdom, and Department of Business administration, Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University, Egypt.

Amr Kais

Amr Kais is an experienced practitioner in the fields of marketing, management, research, and media. His extensive and long expertise in these fields has been acquired through the various teaching assignments, consulting practices and employment history with international as well as local conglomerates. Dr. Kais is presently a participating faculty at the American University in Cairo and a designated lecturer of various institutions, including University of Cambridge.