Research on Adoption of Mobile Virtual Community in China and Korea

Abstract

Due to the widespread development of mobile internet, more and more users will transfer to mobile virtual community from web community. This study attempts to understand factors affecting the adoption of mobile virtual community in addition to those affecting other mobile services. An adoption model that reflects the characteristics of mobile virtual community is developed. The model consists of the factors in virtual community and common mobile services and is tested both in China and Korea. Our findings show that perceived cost, perceived ease of use and social influence will affect intention to use significantly. Social capital and trust are crucial factors affecting perceived usefulness in mobile virtual community. We also find that the adoption patterns in China and Korea have great differences. In Korea adopters put more weight on perceived cost, perceived ease of use and perceived similarity, while in China adopters put more weight on perceived playfulness and familiarity.