Factors impacting the adoption of social network sites for emergency notification purposes in universities

Abstract

The increasing number of campuses incidents has kindled a realisation among university officials of the need for better communication with students at such trying times. This study uses the technology, organisation and environment (TOE) framework and the theory of channel complementarity to develop an insight into the factors that contribute to social network adoption intention and to examine the relationship between traditional channels and social network sites in the context of emergency response. The findings suggest that the intention to adopt social network sites for emergency notification purposes is influenced by two factors: the rate of critical incidents on campus, and the number of traditional notification channels deployed on campus, indicating that traditional channels and social network sites complement each other. The insights presented here will aid both school authorities and business firms in making informed decisions regarding the deployment of notification technologies.