Factors affecting mobile device use at festival attractions

To better comprehend mobile device acceptance and use at attractions and during tourism experiences broadly, we need to know and understand the factors that influence the decision to use technology in varying contexts. This presentation will discuss the Unified Theory of the Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 in relation to mobile device use at festivals. On-site interviews and survey data collection from 9 festivals reveals 5 new items that should be incorporated into this technology use model going forward. The implications will enable attraction staff and mobile device experience designers to ascertain appropriate ways to integrate mobile technology in the visitor’s experience. Introduction For nearly a decade, most Canadian households have had people who own a cell phone (Industry Canada, 2008) and while this technology is generally accepted by the public in everyday day life and work environments, it may not be accepted and used equally in all contexts of our lives. With advances in technology, our daily lives increasingly incorporate our mobile devices into the varying activities and tasks we undertake; however, much of the research on acceptance is based on work environments and there is a need to better understand technology adoption and diffusion in free-choice environments (Straub, 2009; Van Winkle, Cairns, MacKay, & Halpenny, 2016). How and why people do or do not accept mobile devices in free-choice contexts is an important step in exploring the complexity of information and communication technology (ICT) in our lives. Past research has demonstrated that it is necessary to examine ICT models and theories in a range of contexts (Hong, Chan, Thong, Chasalow, & Dhillon, 2014; Van Winkle, Cairns, MacKay, & Halpenny, 2016). In this paper, festivals are the selected free-choice context for examining factors affecting mobile technology adoption and outcomes of technology use. Increasingly festivals integrate ICT into attendees experiences by offering on-festival-site internet access, developing digital media device applications, and creating social networking profiles in order to attract new audiences and satisfy existing visitors. Festivals are an appropriate leisure and tourism context in which to examine acceptance, use and outcomes of mobile device use because they range considerably in the experience opportunities they provide attendees. The purpose of this research is to advance our understanding of technology acceptance and non-acceptance in a free-choice context by applying the Unified Theory of the Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) in a free-choice context and exploring additional variables relevant to the leisure/tourism setting. Understanding acceptance and non-acceptance in settings where people are not required to use technology leads to a better understanding of use, has implications for technology manufacturers, and inform decision makers in these voluntary settings. Leisure and tourism settings (including festivals) provide an opportunity to examine voluntary behaviour as freedom to participate and choice are key elements of leisure experiences. This presentation explores the UTAUT2’s appropriateness in a leisure/tourism context and identifies context specific variables not presently included in the UTAUT2. Specifically, the presentation will address the following research questions: Which