The antecedents and consequents of user perceptions in information technology adoption

A common theme underlying various models that explain information technology adoption is the inclusion of perceptions of an innovation as key independent variables. Although a fairly significant body of research that empirically tests these models is now in existence, some questions with regard to both the antecedents as well as the consequents of perceptions remain unanswered. This paper reports the results of a field study examining adoption of an information technology innovation represented by an expert systems application. Two research objectives that have both theoretical and practical relevance motivated and guided the study. One, the study challenges an assumption which is implicit in technology acceptance models: that of the non-existence of moderating influences on the relationship between perceptions and adoption decisions. Specifically, the study examines the effects of an important moderating influence – personal innovativeness – on this relationship. Two, the study seeks to shed further light on the determinants of perceptions by examining the relative efficacy of mass media and interpersonal communication channels in facilitating perception development. Theoretical and practical implications that follow from the results are discussed.