Validating Perception and Use of Mobile Social Network Service: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Study

The rapid developments of Social Network Services (SNS) and mobile technology have offered opportunities to revisit seminal theories of technology use in today’s socio-technical environment. Mobile technology based SNS provides various service channels that are highly correlated with their respective service contexts, in which cultural influences are omnipresent. Investigating use intention in a cross-cultural mobile SNS study implies new theoretical discoveries and managerial practices. This research in progress (RIP) paper suggests that important distinctions exist between U.S. and Chinese SNS subscribers in terms of SNS use and perceptions. Taking the perspective of SNS users, we strive to explore the effects of cultural factors (e.g., collectivism vs. individualism) on trust formulation, degree of social awareness, and privacy concern. We examine the antecedents and consequences of legacy constructs (e.g., technology acceptance and social capital) in SNS. This paper describes the research design to test the research hypotheses. A triangulation methodology (i.e., qualitative and quantitative methods) is desired and proposed in the design. A discussion of research implications and business practices is also included in this RIP paper.