The acceptance and usage of smart connected objects according to adoption stages: an enhanced technology acceptance model integrating the diffusion of innovation, uses and gratification and privacy calculus theories

In today's digitalized world, technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart connected objects (SCOs) are moving to the forefront and have given rise to fundamental changes in consumers' daily lives. During the context of COVID-19, the IoT and SCOs enabled people to better deal with the pandemic situation (e.g., control their health or use fitness indicators) (Gupta et al., 2021). The purpose of this study is to explain the acceptance and usage of SCOs and therefore extend the technology acceptance model (TAM; Davis, 1989) with other theories (i.e., uses and gratification, diffusion of innovation, privacy calculus), and thus new antecedents adapted to the SCO context. More specifically, in addition to the TAM's main variables (i.e., perceived usefulness, ease of use, intention to use, real use), we investigate the roles of concepts rarely investigated in innovation and new technology research, such as well-being, social image, privacy concerns, and innovativeness. We also study the differences in the adoption of SCOs between different user adoption stages, such as the early adopters, early majority, and late majority (Rogers, 1983). The data come from 702 respondents surveyed in a longitudinal study over three years of their acceptance and real usage. Structural equation modeling shows that the TAM variables remain relevant in the SCO context. The results show that utilitarian benefits are the main reasons leading to SCO technology acceptance, and well-being and social image lead to higher usage in the long term. However, privacy concerns are the main obstacles to the adoption of SCOs.