Taking “Fun and Games” Seriously: Proposing the Hedonic-Motivation System Adoption Model (HMSAM)

TLDR

Hedonic‑motivation systems, designed to satisfy users’ intrinsic motivations, have seen sales outpace utilitarian‑motivation systems for over a decade, yet IS research has largely concentrated on the latter. The study explains the role of intrinsic motivations in system use and proposes the hedonic‑motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) to improve understanding of HMS adoption. HMSAM is an HMS‑specific acceptance model grounded in flow‑based cognitive absorption, extending van der Heijden’s framework by mediating perceived ease of use and behavioral intentions through CA. Experiments with 665 participants show that cognitive absorption is a stronger predictor of behavioral intentions than perceived ease of use or joy, with the effect of perceived ease of use fully mediated by CA, establishing a foundation for future research on hedonic, utilitarian, and mixed‑motivation systems.

Abstract

Hedonic-motivation systems (HMS)—systems used primarily to fulfill users’ intrinsic motivations—are the elephant in the room for IS research. Growth in HMS sales has outperformed utilitarian-motivation systems (UMS) sales for more than a decade, generating billions in revenue annually; yet IS research focuses mostly on UMS. In this study, we explain the role of intrinsic motivations in systems use and propose the hedonic-motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) to improve the understanding of HMS adoption. Instead of a minor, general TAM extension, HMSAM is an HMS-specific system acceptance model based on an alternative theoretical perspective, which is in turn grounded in flow-based cognitive absorption (CA). The HMSAM extends van der Heijden’s (2004) model of hedonic system adoption by including CA as a key mediator of perceived ease of use (PEOU) and of behavioral intentions to use (BIU) hedonic-motivation systems. Results from experiments involving 665 participants confirm that, in a hedonic context, CA is a more powerful and appropriate predictor of BIU than PEOU or joy, and that the effect of PEOU on BIU is fully mediated by CA sub-constructs. This study lays a foundation, provides guidance, and opens up avenues for future HMS, UMS, and mixed-motivation system research.