An investigation of technology trust and habit in IT use continuance: a study of a social network

Purpose: Social networking services/systems (SNSs) have grown in popularity in the past decade. However, while some have been abandoned by their once loyal users, others have grown in popularity. Literature provides diverse and often conflicting justifications for this phenomenon. Seeking a credible explanation, this study aims to examine the roles of system-like trust and habit in SNS use continuance. Design/methodology/approach: This study conducted a comprehensive review of related literature to formulate an extended model of information technology (IT) continuance. A cross-sectional field survey was used to collect data from 401 university-student Facebook users. The research model was evaluated using structural equation modeling. Findings: The results indicate that trust in technology and hedonic motivation are important to direct influences on end-user continuance intention (CI), while habit is not. Interestingly, the most salient (indirect) predictor of CI is confirmation of (user) expectations. Practical implications: The study suggests a set of practical steps that managers and practitioners can undertake to support users’ decisions to continue using the systems. Originality/value: This paper advances IT continuance research by theorizing that trust in technology along with habit and hedonic motivation positively influence CI. In addition, the study enhances the concept of perceived usefulness by modeling this unitary measure as a multidimensional construct. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.