Social Network Services in China: An Integrated Model of Centrality, Trust, and Technology Acceptance

The rapid development of web-based Social Network Services (SNS) in China has been remarkable over the past several years. SNS allow users to build and nurture social connections over wide geographic areas. A distinct interaction between users' experience of service and their social networking behavior is at the heart of SNS business. Previous research in e-commerce and e-government has established that users' intentions are the result of both user perceptions of the technology (e.g., perceived usefulness and ease of use) and trust in technology providers. However, Social Network Services (SNS) are unique because they contain features that are not found in other electronic services. Our research of Chinese SNS users shows that centrality, technology acceptance, familiarity, and user trust are important to SNS market penetration. Together, these variables explain a significant proportion of variance in users' intention of using e-socializing services. Our findings suggest that SNS providers should re-examine their overall strategies using factors such as the number of social ties, channel of service promotion, and web interface design.