The Role of Access to Personal Support in Fostering Frequent Information Systems Use

Recent research has begun to examine some of the factors underlying the continued use of information systems. This paper seeks to contribute to this emerging research stream through a preliminary investigation of the role played by user access to various support resources in encouraging frequent system use in personal use contexts. Although organizations typically provide users with access to formal support resources through help desk services, a body of literature exists which suggests that individuals may rely to a significant extent on resources such as friends and co-workers to support their ongoing use of personal information systems. An examination of this possibility was performed using an archival data set. Analysis of the data using structural equation modeling (SEM) indicates that user perceptions that they can rely on friends, co-workers, and personal abilities to resolve technical difficulties are associated with more frequent system use.