Fulfillment of higherorder psychological needs through technology: The case of smart thermostats Abstract   Smart home technologies (SHTs), such as smart thermostats, are a growing commercial opportunity. SHTs can offer a broad spectrum of potential functional, experiential and esthetic benefits, yet much of the prior research on the adoption of SHTs has been limited by a narrow TAMbased functional view. Relatively little is known about the salient user beliefs related to the experiential and esthetic benefits of SHTs that may affect SHT adoption. To address this gap in research, we conduct a mixedmethods study, wherein we inductively develop a set of factors that reflect salient user considerations associated with smart thermostats and we examine the effects of the elicited factors on the smart thermostat adoption intention. We find that performance expectancy, emphasized by TAM, has a relatively minor effect on the smart thermostat adoption intention and effort expectancy has no effect at all. We identify a novel factor, which we term technocoolness, as the key predictor of the adoption intention in this context. Technocoolness is a multidimensional construct that encompasses the perceptions that the technology can make a home look modern and futuristic, can make the user feel technologically advanced, and can be fun to use. Technocoolness reveals that the technology capacity to fulfill higherorder psychological needs can dominate purely functional considerations in innovative technology adoption decisions.

The impact of innovation and gratification on authentic experience, subjective wellbeing, and behavioral intention in tourism virtual reality: The moderating role of technology readiness Abstract   Despite the increasing amount of attention paid to virtual reality (VR) tourism and the rising importance of VR tourism, a theoretically integrated model of behavior has not been developed. To fill this void, we build and test a framework based on both innovation diffusion and uses and gratifications theories to explain why people participate in VR tourism. The moderating role of VR touristsxe2x80x99 technology readiness (optimism and innovativeness) between subjective wellbeing and behavioral intention is also examined. Results demonstrate that authentic experience and subjective wellbeing are affected by simplicity, benefit, compatibility (attributes of innovation diffusion), informativeness, social interactivity, and playfulness (uses and gratifications attributes). Behavioral intention is more positively influenced by subjective wellbeing than by authentic experience. The moderating role of technology readiness between subjective wellbeing and behavioral intention is stronger in individuals with high optimism and innovativeness than their counterparts with low optimism and innovativeness.