Does adoption mean the same to every user? A study of active and passive usage of mobile instant messaging applications

This research-in-progress paper studies the active and passive usage of mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications. Grounded on two-factor theory and three-factor theory, we propose the features of MIM applications influence the active/passive usage of MIM applications through users’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The proposed features are categorized into three factors: exciting factors which contain design aesthetics, customization and enjoyment, performance factors which include sociability, convenience and privacy assurance, and basic factors which are application costs and technical functionality. To test hypothetical relationships in this study, we plan to use a survey method. The potential implications to both literature and practice are discussed.