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This study examined how demographics, Internet use motivation, and beliefs about Internet television influenced Internet users’ intentions to adopt Internet television in Taiwan. The belief factors of users in programming quality, government regulation, and media impact contributed significantly to predicting an intention to adopt Internet television. Results from hierarchical regression also demonstrated that gender and Internet use motivations were predictive as well.Contents
Introduction
Literature review
Methodology
Discussion
Conclusion
Introduction
The rapid development of Internet and its applications has led to many new broadcasting services. One of the emerging applications is to stream video programs via the Internet (Lin, 2004). These applications are generally labeled as webcasting (Lin, 2004), or Internet television (Gerbarg and Noam, 2004; Katz, 2004). Gerbarg and Noam (2004) pointed out that Internet television is a product of digital convergence in telecommunications, the Internet, television, and computer applications. Technically, Internet television has been developed from the capability of the Internet to distribute full–motion video to users (Katz, 2004). However, the arrival of Internet television has been envisioned to affect perceptions of how television should be defined (Katz, 2004). In other words, Internet television will blur boundaries between telecommunications, broadcasting, and information technology.
Despite the popularity of the term “Internet television” in trade publications, there is no common definition for this new kind of broadcasting (Noll, 2004). As Gerbarg and Noam (2004) have observed, the term has been used interchangeably with other similar terms, such as Web TV, enhanced TV, personal TV, interactive TV, or IPTV. Gerberg and Noam (2004) provided the most elaborate definition of Internet television:
At the lower end of complexity, it is merely a narrowband two–way Internet–style individualized (“asynchronous”) channel that accompanies regular one–way “synchronous” broadband broadcast TV or cable. This Internet channel can provide information in conjunction with broadcast programs, such as details on news and sports, or enable transactions (including e–commerce) in responses to TV advertisements. This is known as ‘enhanced TV.’ At the other end of complexity is a fully asynchronous two–way TV, with each user receiving and transmitting individualized TV programs, including direct interaction in the program plot line. In between is one–way broadband with a narrowband return channel that can be used to select video programs on demand (VOD). [1].Technologically speaking, the evolution of Internet television depends on several essential technological factors. Certain technological advances have led to the following developments: 1) increased ability to process user feedback; 2) a rapid increase in effective distribution capacity; and, 3) increased storage and processing power controlled by viewers [2].
There have been several Internet television experiments in the United States. They include Web sites such as ifilm.com, atomfilms.com, icebox.com, and etertaindom.com that deliver video contents to Internet users (Waterman, 2004). In Taiwan, Web sites operated by television stations or commercial Internet television sites (e.g., http://www.webs-tv.net/url/website.asp) provide either free or subscription access to a variety of Internet programming. In spite of many optimistic views about the potential impacts of Internet television, Owen [2] was pessimistic because of inadequate bandwidth and the Web’s unsuitable architecture for broadcasting applications. Past studies that examined Internet television have mainly taken an economic and technological approach [3]. Consumers’ needs and uses of new technologies are rarely studied [4].
The success of Internet television as a potential revenue source for broadcasting industry depends on technological, regulatory, and consumer factors. Waterman (2004) identified five economic characteristics of the Internet that will influence Internet television business models and contents: 1) lower delivery costs and reduced capacity constraints; 2) more efficient interactivity; 3) more efficient advertising and sponsorship; 4) more efficient direct pricing and produce bundling; and, 5) lower costs of copying and sharing. In terms of technology, Einhorn (2004) pointed out the following new capabilities provided by digital and Internet technology: 1) time–shifting; 2) space–shifting; 3) personalization; 4) screening; 5) transforming; 6) multimedia; 7) morphing; 8) archiving; 9) repackaging; 10) hyperlinking; and, 11) user communities and chat rooms.
Consumers’ needs often decide whether a new technology will become successful (Carey, 2004). Carey (2004) explored a key question that affects the success of Internet television. He asks, “Do audiences want to watch video on a personal computer and is there a demand for all of the associated features that could be provided, such as interactive television, customization of video, and two–way video telephone calls?” Carey (2004) found that older consumers with high–end home theatre TVs were less enthusiastic about video over the Web. Similarly, Lin (2004) explored the adoption of webcasting from communication research paradigms. She examined whether users’ gratifications, motivations, media substitution, and fluidity of the Internet can predict audience’s interests in webcasting. Her research found that diversion/escape and perceived fluidity significantly predicted interest.
The shift of research on consumer needs addresses a critical dimension about the diffusion of Internet television. The relationships between Internet television and consumer adoption are important and need further exploration. Without extensive diffusion and adoption, Internet television will likely follow the same fate of many failed technologies in the past 20 years. This study examines factors influencing Internet users’ adoption of Internet television in Taiwan. Specifically, this study asks the following questions:
Research Question 1: What are Internet users’ beliefs about Internet television?
Research Question 2: How will Internet users’ beliefs influence their adoption intention of Internet television?
Research Question 3: How will demographics, innovativeness, and use motivations influence Internet users’ adoption intention of Internet television?
Literature review
Internet use motivations
Motivations relative to the use of the Internet have been well–researched (Joines, et al., 2003; Parker and Plank, 2000; Stafford, et al., 2004). Earlier uses and gratifications studies mainly provided a typology of use motivations by extending the uses and gratifications framework to study emerging new media (Kaye, 1998; Lin, 2004; Morris and Ogan, 1996; Parker and Plank, 2000; Stafford, et al., 2004). For example, Joines, et al. (2003) explored motivations for consumer Web use and identified two types of Web uses. Stafford, et al. (2004) also factor analyzed Internet users’ gratifications and extracted three factors motivating Internet use behavior: process, content, and social gratifications. Nevertheless, Stafford, et al. (2004) criticized that present uses and gratifications have failed to develop new Internet–specific gratifications.
The majority of uses and gratifications research has focused on the effects of consumer motivational factors on media use pattern and behavior, media effects, and technology choice and adoption. Digressing from traditional uses and gratifications research, Stafford, et al. (2004) integrated consumer media use with their adoption of technology by combining uses and gratification with diffusion theory. On the basis of their summary of previous technology adoption and acceptance research [5], consumer perception of new technologies will affect their willingness to adopt a given technology. For example, the technology acceptance model [6] postulated that consumer perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) of a specific technology influence their attitudes toward and adoption intention of a technology. Similarly, Lin (2004) found that audience’s perceived fluidity of the Internet medium significantly predict people’s viewing interest of webcasting programs. Moreover, innovation diffusion theory [7] also argued that consumer perceived relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and observability will predict the diffusion of a new innovation. Stafford and Stafford [8] proposed that consumers are motivated by both external and internal factors to adopt new technologies. External factors included normative influences, while internal factors included personal goals and desires (Stafford, et al., 2004). We argued that consumer motivational factors would influence their perception and adoption of Internet television. Therefore, we proposed the following two research questions:
Research Question 4: Do Internet use motivations predict Internet users’ intention to adopt Internet television?
Research Question 5: Which Internet use motivation predicts Internet intention to adopt Internet television?Demographics
Demographic variables have been found to affect Internet users’ subscription intention of interactive television (Leung and Wei, 1998). Leung and Wei (1998) found that male respondents tend to have more positive attitudes toward interactive television and have a higher subscription intention, compared with female respondents. Furthermore, respondents’ education level also positively affects the above variables. However, given the inconsistent results reported about demographic variables in influencing consumers’ adoption behavior (Leung and Wei, 1998; Lin, 2004), we proposed the following research question:
Research Question 6: Do Internet users’ demographic variables predict Internet users’ intention to adopt Internet television?
Innovativeness
We include another individual characteristic, innovativeness, in this study because the variable was expected to influence consumers’ beliefs about and adoption intention of Internet television, which is an innovative media application on the Internet. Leung and Wei (1998) also reported that consumer innovativeness is positively related to their adoption decision of various media technologies. Innovative individuals have been also found to be dynamic, communicative, curious, venturesome, and stimulation–seeking. Moreover, Internet users have been often considered to be innovators [9]. Other diffusion studies [10] also confirmed that innovativeness is related to consumer adoption behavior. Based on these studies about this important variable, we proposed the following research question:
Research Question 7: Internet users’ innovativeness affects their intention to adopt Internet television.
Internet Usage Behavior
Rogers (1995) argued “the adoption of one new idea may trigger the adoption of several others in a cluster which consists of one or more distinguishable elements of technology that are perceived as being interrelated.” Leung and Wei (1998) observed that adoption of new technologies can be best predicted by consumer past adoption of functionally similar technologies. The concept has been called technology cluster, which was used to study consumer adoption of new technologies such as ICQ (Leung, 2001), interactive television and video–on–demand (Leung and Wei, 1998), and electronic commerce activities (Eastin, 2002). Therefore, given the similarities between Internet television and other Internet uses, we thus hypothesized that prior adoption behavior, knowledge about innovations, the adoption of technology cluster product influence consumer adoption behavior of Internet television:
Research Question 8: Internet experience affects Internet users’ intention to adopt Internet television.
Research Question 9: Knowledge about the Internet affects Internet users’ intention to adopt Internet television.We proposed the following theoretical model to organize the hypothesized relationships between variables as discussed above (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Factors influencing the adoption of Internet television.
Methodology
Sampling
The sample was recruited, through a convenience sampling method, from two metropolitan areas (i.e., Taipei and Kaohsiung) in Taiwan where there were the highest Internet penetration rates. Several research assistants were trained and dispatched to locations (such as train stations, bus terminals, and department stores) that often attracted large crowds to facilitate this research.
Taiwan is one of the most wired nations in Asia. As of September, 2004, the Internet penetration was about 40 percent of the island population of 23 million (Find, 2004a). The Internet users reached 9.05 million as of 2004 (Find, 2004a). The number of host computer ranked number 10 worldwide and number 2 among Asian countries Find, 2004b).
Sample characteristics
Total valid respondents for the study were 1,492. Over 47.7 percent (n=711) of our sample were male, while 52.3 percent (n=781) were female. Those whose ages were between 15 and 19 years old account for 15.2 percent (n=227), while those who fall between 20 and 24 years old account for 77.2 percent (n=1,163) of the total sample. Overall, younger respondents (aged between 15 and 29 years old) account for 98.9 percent of the sample. The demographic composition was reflective of current Internet population profile in Taiwan. According to Yam’s survey (2000), over 75 percent of the Taiwanese Internet users fell between 15–29 years old.
Most of the respondents in the sample used the Internet for less than three years (69.8 percent, n=1,036). Moreover, over 30.2 percent (n=448) in this survey used the Internet for more than three years. As to their knowledge about the Internet, the average rating was 4.52 (SD=1.858) on a scale of 10, with 1 representing novice and 10 representing expert.
Table 1: Demographic profiles of sample Cases Percentage Gender Male 711 47.7 Female 781 52.3 Age 15–19 years old 227 15.2 20–24 years old 1,163 77.2 25–29 years old 97 6.5 30 years old and above 10 0.9 Educational levels Post–graduate level 25 1.7 University level 1,323 89.0 Junior college level 129 8.7 Senior high and vocational school level 10 0.7 Income Below NTD$5,000 585 39.3 NTD$5,001–10,000 630 42.3 NTD$10,001–15,000 159 10.7 NTD$15,001–20,000 61 4.1 NTD$20,001–25,000 42 2.8 NTD$25,001–30,000 3 0.2 NTD$30,001–35,000 2 0.1 Above NTD$35,001 7 0.5 Internet experience (years) Below 6 months 105 7.1 6 months to 1 year 241 16.2 1–3 years 690 46.5 3–5 years 316 21.3 Above 5 years 132 8.9 Knowledge about the Internet 1 (Novice) 88 5.9 2 127 8.5 3 239 16.0 4 264 17.7 5 250 23.5 6 210 14.1 7 128 8.6 8 64 4.3 9 14 0.9 10 (Expert) 8 0.5 Mean=4.52, SD=1.858, Median=5
Instrumentation
The data were taken from a large scale study about Internet users’ attitudes toward a variety of emerging Internet applications. We reported the data set about consumers’ adoption behavior of Internet television in this paper. The survey instrument for this research consisted of multi–item scales to measure: (1) Internet users’ motivations to use the Internet (17 five–point Likert statements) (Joines, et al., 2003; Kaye, 1998; Parker and Plank, 2000; Stafford and Stafford, 2004); (2) beliefs about Internet television (11 five–point Likert statements); (3) adoption intention of Internet television (2 five–point Likert statements); (4) control variables including demographics, Internet use behavior, and innovativeness (8 five–point Likert statements) characteristics of the Internet users. The innovative scale was measured by 8 five–point Likert items and had a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.720. Individual items were aggregated for later analyses.
Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was employed to estimate the internal consistency of the multi–item scales used in the present study (Alsawalmeh and Feldt, 1999). The reliability coefficient helped assess the internal consistency for each of the scales identified by the factor analysis procedure. Nunnally [11] suggested a reliable instrument for a preliminary research needs to attain a Cronbach’s alpha value between 0.50 and 0.60. In this study, scales employed had attained the minimum reliability requirement for an exploratory study (Nunnally, 1967).
Discussion
Internet use motivations
We conducted an exploratory factor analysis to uncover the dimensions of consumer motivations to use the Internet. Five orthogonal factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 were extracted from the analysis. Despite a potential problem of overestimating or underestimating the number of factors retained for later statistical analyses, the eigenvalue criterion has been one of the commonly used standards in the factor analysis procedure (Tucker, et al., 1969; also see Park, et al., 2002). We also used a scree test to supplement the process of identification and selection of factors (Park, et al., 2002). Both procedures generated the same number of factors to be retained for later statistical analyses. In the end, we extracted five motivational factors, including “Entertainment factor”, “Habit factor”, “Social factor”, “Information factor”, and “Escapism factor”. These five factors accounted for 60.426 percent of the variance within the data. These results were reported with their Cronbach’s alpha values for each factor.
Table 2: Results of factor analysis of Internet use motivations Factor 1: Entertainment factor
(Eigenvalue=2.666, Variance explained=14.813%, alpha=0.8009)Because it relaxes me. 0.805 Because it’s enjoyable. 0.750 Because it allows me to unwind. 0.749 Because it entertains me. 0.727 Factor 2: Habit factor
(Eigenvalue=1.872, Variance explained=10.402%, alpha=0.5800)I feel restless if I do not use the Internet. 0.784 I make a habit of using the Internet. 0.775 Because it gives me something to occupy my time. 0.568 Factor 3: Social factor
(Eigenvalue=1.820, Variance explained=10.111%, alpha=0.5897)So I can chat with my friends. 0.730 So I can feel less lonely. 0.711 So I can make new friends. 0.560 Factor 4: Information factor
(Eigenvalue=1.552, Variance explained=8.620%, alpha=0.6752)Because it helps me learn about myself. 0.809 Because it helps me learn about others. 0.789 Factor 5: Escapism factor
(Eigenvalue=2.966, Variance explained=16.480%, alpha=0.8195)So I can forget about what happens at work. 0.806 So I can forget about what happens at home. 0.805 So I can forget about what happens at school. 0.774 So I can get away from the rest of the family or others. 0.707 So I can get away from what I’m doing. 0.577
The first research question explored beliefs and belief factors underlying Internet users’ perceptions of Internet television. Following the same exploratory factor analysis procedure, the belief factors about Internet television were presented in Table 3. Four factors were extracted from the principal component analysis using varimax rotation. These four factors accounted for 69.961 percent of variance and were as follows: “Program quality factor”, “Pro–regulation factor”, “Negative programming factor”, and “Media impact factor”. These results were reported with their Cronbach’s alpha values for each factor.
Table 3: Results of factor analysis — Beliefs about Internet television Factor 1: Program quality factor
(Eigenvalue=2.331, Variance explained=21.194%, alpha=0.750)Network transmission speed affects the quality of Internet television. 0.843 Network bandwidth affects the quality of Internet television. 0.801 Programming quality affects the success of Internet television. 0.749 Internet television should contain programming not seen in traditional television. 0.608 Factor 2: Pro–regulation factor
(Eigenvalue=2.059, Variance explained=18.718%, alpha=0.777)Internet television should apply for broadcasting licenses. 0.802 Government should control Internet television programming. 0.801 Internet television should be regulated by existing broadcasting laws and regulations. 0.775 Factor 3: Negative programming factor
(Eigenvalue=1.660, Variance explained=15.092%, alpha=0.790)Internet television will have a lot of pornographic contents. 0.903 Internet television will have a lot of violent contents. 0.882 Factor 4: Media impact factor
(Eigenvalue=1.535, Variance explained=13.957%, alpha=0.674)Internet television will affect my media use behavior. 0.855 Internet television will affect my life. 0.848
Two 5–point Likert statements were used to measure consumer intention to adopt Internet television. These statements include “I think Internet television will become a commercial success”, and “I will adopt Internet television”. Table 4 reported factor loadings, eigenvalues, variances accounted for, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for each extracted factor.
Table 4: Results of factor analysis — Adoption intention of Internet Television Factor: Adoption intention
(Eigenvalue=1.283, Variance explained=64.148%, alpha=0.836)I think Internet television will become a commercial success. 0.801 I will adopt Internet television. 0.801
Predictors of Internet users’ intention to adopt Internet television
The second research question examined what belief factors can be used to predict Internet users’ intention to adopt Internet television. We conducted regression analyses to determine the relationships between these belief factors and respondents’ adoption intention. Mansfield and Helms (1982) argued that multicollinearity test should be performed before any multiple regression analysis. Therefore, we conducted the variance inflation factor (VIF) procedure to examine this problem in the regression models. None of the VIF values surpassed the threshold of 5, as proposed by Bernstein (2001) which he suggested as a general rule of thumb is that severe multicollinearity exists if a VIF is larger than 5. All VIFs ranged from 1.108 to 1.405. As a result, the initial analysis indicated that multicollinearity was not a problem for the regression model.
Three out of four belief factors about Internet television contributed significantly to the prediction of users’ intention to adopt this technology (see Table 5). These predictor factors altogether explained 26.2 percent of the variance in users’ adoption intention of Internet television. These factors were: Programming quality factor (
=0.307, t=11.635, p<0.001), Pro–regulation factor (
Table 5: Regression of beliefs about Internet television Multiple R: 0.512 R Square: 0.262 Adjusted R square: 0.260 Standard Error: 0.569 F Value: 132.431*** Durbin–Watson=1.249 df Sum of squares Mean square Regression 4 171.668 42.917 Residual 148
9482.540 0.324 Total 149
3654.208 Factors Unstandardized coefficients Standardized coefficients t Programming quality factor 0.301 0.307 11.635*** Pro–regulation factor 0.072 0.086 3.293*** Negative programming factor 0.037 0.040 1.692 media impact factor 0.242 0.264 11.249*** Notations: * p<0.05 ** p<0.01 *** p<0.001
Three significant belief factors have shown positive signs in
Previous studies of users’ adoption of new technologies have relied on individual perception of a technology. For example, innovation diffusion theory (Rogers, 1995) emphasized the social factors and their impacts on people’s perception and evaluation of innovation characteristics. Intended as a universal model to understand innovation choice and adoption, Rogers’ (1995) model failed to examine innovation–specific characteristics that can influence consumer decision to adopt a new technology. Similarly, Lin (2004) reported that audience’s perceived fluidity of the Internet significantly predict their viewing interest. In this study, we have identified innovation–specific factors related to the adoption of Internet television. Factors such as programming quality, pro–regulation, and media impacts have been found to significantly predict consumer intention to adopt Internet television. We thus argue that these second order and innovation–specific variables would supplement first–order adoption variables (e.g., compatibility, trialability, complexity, relative advantage, and observability).
To determine if belief factors about Internet television could predict respondents’ adoption intention after taking into consideration other confounding variables, we conducted several hierarchical regression analyses (RQ3). The results of hierarchical regression analyses were used to estimate the incremental and total variance associated with the variable blocks and were reported in Table 6. We also reported the final betas for individual variables from final regression equation in Table 6.
Table 6: Hierarchical regression predicting Internet users’ adoption of Internet television R square Standardized t Model 1: F=26.613, df=5/1457, p<0.001 Demographics Gendera (male) -0.068 -2.700** Education levelb 0.049 1.894 Agec 0.005 0.189 Incomed -0.116 -4.555*** Innovativeness 0.244 9.617*** R after step 1 0.289 R square after step 1 0.084 Model 2: F=19.629, df=7/1455, p<0.001 Gendera (male) -0.065 -2.521** Education levelb 0.043 1.661 Agec -0.001 -0.038 Incomed -0.113 -4.406*** Innovativeness 0.238 0.926*** Internet use behavior Internet usage historye 0.047 1.749 Knowledge about Internet 0.013 0.458 Incremental R square for Group 2 0.003 R after step 2 0.294 R square after step 2 0.086 Model 3: F=24.396, df=12/1450, p<0.001 Gendera (male) -0.083 -3.323 Education levelb 0.042 1.674 Agec 0.011 0.455 Incomed -0.096 -3.886*** Innovativeness 0.144 5.584*** Internet usage historye 0.035 1.361 Knowledge about Internet -0.014 -0.508 Internet use motivation Escapism factor -0.032 -1.211 Entertainment factor 0.232 8.376*** Habit factor -0.020 -0.701 Social factor 0.139 4.993*** Information factor 0.046 1.703 Incremental R square for Group 3 0.082 R after step 3 0.410 R square after step 3 0.168 Model 4: F=39.020, df=16/1446, p<0.001 Gendera (male) -0.055 -2.346** Education levelb 0.022 0.933 Agec 0.007 0.306 Incomed -0.020 -0.830 Innovativeness 0.047 1.922 Internet usage historye 0.027 1.129 Knowledge about Internet -0.044 -1.787 Escapism factor -0.001 -0.025 Entertainment factor 0.139 5.326*** Habit factor -0.030 -1.147 Social factor 0.078 3.025** Information factor 0.044 1.776 Beliefs about Internet television Programming quality factor 0.258 8.949*** Pro–regulation factor 0.067 2.534** Negative programming factor 0.023 0.980 Media impact factor 0.221 0.917** Incremental R square for Group 4 0.134 R after step 4 0.549 R square after step 4 0.302 a. Coded as 0=female, 1=male.
b. Coded as 0=less educated (from senior high school to junior college level), 1=more educated (from university to post graduate level)
c. Coded as 0=young (15–19 years old), 1=old (above 20 years old)
d. Coded as 0=less affluent (below NTD10,000), 1=affluent (above NTD$10,000)
e. Coded as 0=less experienced (below 1 year), 1=more experienced (more than 1 year)
f. * p<0.05 ** p <0.01 *** p <0.001
A total of sixteen variables were selected and grouped into four blocks separately in the hierarchical regression analyses. Demographic variables (e.g., gender, education, income level, age, and innovativeness), Internet use behavior (e.g., Internet usage history and knowledge about Internet), and Internet use motivations were entered in the first three blocks. Belief factors were entered in the last block. This approach offered the most conservative test possible and ensured that any effects attributed to users’ adoption intention of Internet television would not be due to their relationship with other factors included in the hierarchical regression model.
Demographic variables as a group only accounted for 8.4 percent of the variance in users’ adoption intention of Internet television. As indicated in Table 6, variables such as educational level (
We also found that those who had a lower income level were more likely to adopt Internet television than those with a higher income level. While this finding may be unexpected at the beginning, it is possible that lower income respondents tend to give socially approved answers. Because the adoption of Internet television carries certain social, educational, and financial status, it is likely that individuals in the lower income category tend to signal positive intentions. Because the present study only measured adoption intention, instead of actual adoption, we expected some degree of overestimation. Another important demographic variable, innovativeness, was found to be significant statistically. Furthermore, the positive sign in
Variables related to Internet use behavior were considered next in the hierarchical regression model. The incremental R square is 0.003. Internet usage history (
Incremental R square for Internet use motivation factors was 0.082. Among five Internet use motivation factors, two motivation factors, Entertainment Factor (
Incremental R square for belief factors was 0.134. Belief factors explained the greatest amount of the variance in all four blocks of variables included in the hierarchical regression model. Three out of four belief factors were significant in the final model. While Programming quality, Pro–regulation, and Media impact factors were significant predictors, The Negative programming factor was not significant. Compared with other groups of variables, we observed that consumer beliefs consistently predicted intentions to adopt Internet television. Given the close relationship between beliefs about a new technology and intention to adopt, the importance of beliefs is heightened in the adoption of new media technologies. This finding concurred with previous adoption behavior research that indicated users’ attitudes toward technology affect their adoption behavior [12].
The full model explained 30.2 percent of total variance in consumer adoption intention of Internet television. After controlling all possible confounding variables, the predictive impacts of belief factors on users’ adoption intention remained stable.
Conclusion
The extension of using Internet and telecommunications technologies to broadcasting industry leads to the development of Internet television, which Noam and Gerberg (2004) claimed “the quintessential digital convergence medium” that will influence television industry. Although Noll (2004) argued that the definition of Internet television is still evolving and unclear, it can be broadly defined as the delivery of television programming through either broadband or narrowband Internet channels (Noam and Gerbarg, 2004). The emergence of this new medium was also viewed to influence telecommunications infrastructures, network business models and strategies, government regulations, and culture (Noam and Gerbarg, 2004).
Our study extends the theoretical frameworks and measurements previously developed for the study of traditional and Internet media. The study suggests a model that can be used to predict adoption intentions for Internet television. The importance of consumer perception to predict their adoption intention is also confirmed in Lin’s (2004) study that she found perceived fluidity to be a significant predictor of viewing interest in webcasting programs. While belief factors are useful predictors, the study also found that the effects of belief factors were affected by use motivations and demographic variables.
Limitations
Several limitations of this study should be taken into consideration. First, the unique characteristics of a convenience sample should be considered. Although the sample in this study has been comparable to the characteristics of Internet users as presented in other national surveys (Yam, 2000), a convenience sample of Internet users definitely limits the generalizability of these findings. Furthermore, our sample showed a tilt toward college students, which has made the findings of the present study more appropriate to future research focusing on student populations.
Secondly, the study examined Internet users’ future adoption of Internet television. College students are likely to provide socially approved answers, which may tilt toward pro–technology responses. As previous studies of new technology adoption have cautioned, pro–technology responses are likely to overestimate the adoption likelihood of new technologies.
In spite of these above limitations, this research has contributed to our understanding of adoption behavior for Internet television. These findings may have implications for models that attempt to explain factors influencing adoption behaviors of future emerging applications on the Internet.
About the authors
Kenneth C.C. Yang (Ph.D., The Ohio State University) is an Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of Texas at El Paso. His research interests focus on adoption behavior of new information communication technologies (ICTs), new media advertising, and telecommunications policy.
Yowei Kang (MFA) is a doctoral student at the English Department, University of Texas at El Paso. His research interests are visual rhetoric, new technology and rhetoric.
Notes
1. Gerberg and Noam, 2004, p. xxi.
2. Owen, 1999, cited in Waterman, 2004, p. 62.
3. See Waterman, 2004, pp. 62–63 for a review.
4. Except in Leung and Wei, 1998; Lin, 2004.
5. See Stafford, et al., 2004, p. 264 for review.
6. Vankatesh and Davis, 2000, cited in Stafford, et al., 2004, p. 264.
7. Rogers, 1995, cited in Stafford, et al., 2004, p. 264.
8. Stafford and Stafford, 2001, cited in Stafford, et al., 2004, p. 264.
9. Goldsmith, 1983; Raju, 1980, cited in Wood and Swait, 2002, p. 2.
10. LaRose and Atkin, 1988; Leung, 1988; Rogers, 1995, cited in Leung and Wei, 1998, p. 129.
12. See Leung and Wei, 1998, p. 141 for review.
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Editorial history
Paper received 20 July 2005; accepted 15 February 2006.
Copyright ©2006, First Monday
Copyright ©2006, Kenneth C.C. Yang and Yowei Kang
Exploring factors influencing Internet users’ adoption of Internet television in Taiwan by Kenneth C.C. Yang and Yowei Kang
First Monday, Volume 11, Number 3 - 6 March 2006
http://www.firstmonday.dk/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1319/1239
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