Technology and Media Acceptance: A Theoretical Modeling to Weigh User Demand for Communication Services in the Media Transition

The communicational landscape has changed significantly in recent years, especially through the continuing digitalization of communication technologies and services. Innovations do not necessarily lead to willingness for the media to use them. Furthermore a gap between the expectations of diffusion providers of innovative services within the communication sector and the actual acceptance by a critical mass within large user groups is noticeable. To explain (retrospective) and estimate (prospective) the probability of the demand of communication services in a changing media landscape, this contribution represents a heuristic model. Existing theories and models from different scientific disciplines are used and connected as part of the cognitive interest. The starting point for the refined modeling is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis. Therefore moving from statements of the main focus of this area of the user behavior, it will progress to a social science perspective approach (communication and economics knowledge). The authors conclude that the approach of interconnecting transaction costs (time) with gratification expectations (benefit) in order to form an integrative model is sustainable.