User Acceptance of Information Technology: Inside the American Home

It is indeed appropriate to begin this abstract with a quote from the call for papers for ICIS 1996: “There is great debate on how the forthcoming digital revolution will change the nature of. . .home life and society. Some predict that. . .homes will no longer need to be located near centers of commerce.” While interesting, this prediction cannot come to pass if information technologies (IT) are not adopted in homes. “Many people remain detached from information technology and its benefits” (Machrone 1994, p. 87) as evidenced by the fact that only 12% of households had a personal computer (PC) with a modem in 1994 (PC World, 1994). Another indication of the apprehensions and uncertainties about adopting technology for personal use is the lack of acceptance of the Apple Newton, a personal digital assistant (Mossberg 1993). This new and innovative informationtechnologyfailedtoreceiveuseracceptanceasexpected. Thisexamplesuggeststhatconsumersarenotenamored with technology simply for the sake of technology. Thus, user acceptance, adoption, and use continue to be issues that deserve attention, particularly in this ever-expanding context that extends from the workplace into our homes