4.5 Article

Cognitive Dissonance in Technology Adoption: A Study of Smart Home Users

Journal

INFORMATION SYSTEMS FRONTIERS
Volume 25, Issue 3, Pages 1101-1123

Publisher

SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10796-020-10042-3

Keywords

Digitalisation; Cognitive dissonance; Coping mechanisms; Smart homes; Wellbeing

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This study addresses the outcomes of technology use when it falls short of expectations and the coping mechanisms users may use in such circumstances. By adopting Cognitive Dissonance Theory, the study explores how negative disconfirmation of expectations can result in positive outcomes and how negative emotions impact the selection of dissonance reduction mechanisms. The study finds that post-disconfirmation dissonance leads to feelings of anger, guilt, and regret, which correlate with dissonance reduction mechanisms, ultimately affecting satisfaction and well-being.
This study aims to address a research gap related to the outcomes of the use of technology when the performance falls short of initial expectations, and the coping mechanisms that users may deploy in such circumstances. By adopting Cognitive Dissonance Theory, the objectives of the study are a) to examine how dissonance, caused by the negative disconfirmation of expectations, may translate into a positive outcome and b) study how negative emotions, such as anger, guilt and regret, determine the selection of the mechanism to reduce dissonance. The theorised model was tested using a cross-sectional research design and a sample of 387 smart home users. The focus on smart home users fitted the objectives of the study due to the high expectations that users form and the challenges that the utilisation of technology sometimes causes. The collected data was analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings indicate that post-disconfirmation dissonance induces feelings of anger, guilt and regret, correlating with dissonance reduction mechanisms, which in turn have a distinctive effect on satisfaction and wellbeing. The findings of the study contribute to the discussion on expectation-disconfirmation and cognitive dissonance, by illustrating the interrelationship between emotional, cognitive and behavioural factors following the evaluation of technology performance and confirming that negative disconfirmation may result in satisfaction.

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