Role of Online Social Network Dependency in Habit Formation

Online social networking is perhaps the biggest phenomenon of the Internet. Recently, there has been a rising concern over technology dependency. Recognizing that little theoretical and empirical attention has been given to examine technology dependency in the IS discipline, this study aims to examine the role of technology dependency in habit formation in the context of online social networking sites (SNSs). The findings of an empirical study of 406 Facebook users indicate that online social network dependency (OSN dependency) is a significant antecedent of habit. The OSN dependency also plays a role in augmenting SNS users’ perceptions, which indirectly influences habit. Our theoretical model of habit formation explains 47% of the variance. Implications of the findings are discussed.