Emotion and Information Technology Use: The Impact of State Affect on Cognitions and IT Use
In this paper forthcoming in Internet Research, my team probes the interrelationships between affect and trust on technology use.
This paper investigates the dynamics between state affect and trusting cognitive beliefs on post-adoptive information technology (IT) use behaviors in the form of intention to explore and deep structure usage. That state affect can have an undue influence on behaviors is recognized in practice, and some studies examine the impact of affective constructs, but how state affect impacts how we use IT remains largely unexplored. We theorize that state affect, in the form of positive affect and negative affect, will influence trusting cognitive beliefs regarding an IT artifact (in terms of perceived capability, reliability and helpfulness) as well as, more importantly, directly influencing intentions to explore and deep structure usage. We test our model using a sample of 357 IT users. Survey items were derived from established measures, and the data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results suggest that positive affect and trusting cognitive beliefs positively impact intention to explore and deep structure use, while negative affect and trusting cognitive beliefs positively impact intention to explore. Both positive affect and negative affect directly influenced trusting cognitive beliefs, and positive affect exhibited a significant impact on intention to explore even when controlling for the influence of trusting cognitive beliefs. In order to maximize value from workplace IT, our results suggest managers foster an authentically positive workplace environment and learning how to harness or redirect employees’ emotional energies.
The paper is co-authored with Michael Dinger (USC-Upstate), Julie Wade (USC-Upstate), Steven Dinger (Independent Scholar), and Michelle Carter (Washington State University).
Recommended citation: Dinger, M., Wade, J., Dingers, S., Carter, M., and Thatcher, J.B., (Forthcoming). “Emotion and Information Technology Use: The Impact of State Affect on Cognitions and IT Use.” Internet Research.