CRITICAL FACTORS PREDICTING THE ACCEPTANCE OF DIGITAL MUSEUMS: USER AND SYSTEM PERSPECTIVES

Digital museums are replacing traditional museums to inspire individual growth and promote culture exchange and society enrichment. However, the benefits of using the traditional museum to inspire visitors and promote the local economy may be compromised in the digital museum. This study attempts to offer insights on digital museum adoption from user and system perspectives. We extended the technology acceptance model (TAM) by incorporating computer self-efficacy and personal innovativeness as individual variables and media richness as a system characteristic. We launched a full-scale study with 441 users of 3 weather museums in Taiwan. We had 327 valid responses, a 74% response rate, from our target population. We conducted a regression analysis to investigate the potential influence of independent variables on the adoption of digital museums. Our results showed that both user and system characteristics have a positive influence on perceived usefulness (PU). A proper consideration of these three constructs can increase a user's PU and perceived ease of use (PEOU), thereby establishing a more positive attitude regarding the use of digital museums. Academic and practical implications concerning their adoption from user and system perspectives were drawn from these findings.