Abstract

[This abstract is based on the authors' abstract.]This research develops and tests a new quality construct, SNS quality, and introduces SNSQUAL, a social networking site (SNS) quality model. To capture significant product features of SNSs, SNSQUAL contains five independent dimensions that positively correlate with social media quality and its continued use intention. Findings indicate that: a) SNS quality is influenced by the perceived ease of use, trustworthiness, personalization, integration, and reliability of the SNS; and b) SNS quality positively influences the continued use intention of the SNS. This study contributes to information systems (IS) research and practice by: a) introducing a new quality construct; b) identifying antecedent constructs of SNS quality; c) combining these constructs into the first social network quality model (SNSQUAL), contextualized for use within the SNS environment; d) exploring the relationship of SNS quality with continued use intention, and thus filling a gap in the IS literature; and e) offering a new measure of quality for the SNS environment, and at a broader level, to Web 2.0 sites. The new SNSQUAL model also exhibits additional implications for future SNS research and practice.