Privacy concerns in mobile technology: Can interactivity reduce friction?

Many, if not most, mobile applications tend to elicit personal information from users to offer personalized services. However, users may not be comfortable with such intrusiveness and therefore hesitate to download or adopt a new app even when its use could be beneficial to their health and well-being. To overcome this friction and help users make informed decisions, we propose message interactivity as a solution. Guided by privacy calculus, the theory of interactive media effects (TIME), and the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), we conducted a 4-condition, pre-registered online between-subjects experiment (N = 305) to assess the effect of message interactivity on attitudes and behavioral intentions pertaining to information disclosure in mobile health apps. Data indicate a significant positive effect via three serial mediators, including perceived contingency, elaboration, and perceived benefits. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.