Understanding e-book users: Uses and gratification expectancy model

Abstract

Despite the increasing popularity of and interest in e-books, there has been little research that evaluates book consumers’ actual interest in and preferences for digital content, and the factors that influence reading habits. To help fill this void, this study examines users’ experience of e-books in order to identify the areas of development, using Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT) and Diffusion Theory (DT). The integration of these theories forms the basis of an extended UGT Expectancy concept. Users’ responses to questions about cognitive perceptions and continuous use were collected and analyzed with various factors derived from the theories. The findings confirm the significant roles played by users’ cognitive perceptions and also suggest the importance of affective factors. In the proposed extended model, the moderating effects of confirmation/gratification and demographics of the relations among the variables are found to be significant. The model integrates current research on e-books and suggests a cluster of antecedents related to technology acceptance.