Development of an instrument to measure the acceptance of Internet technology by consumers

This research reviews studies using the technology acceptance model (TAM) in order to create a modified model and instrument to study the acceptance of Internet technology by consumers. In this paper, we examined the relationships between the TAM constructs in some of the research that purports to explain the variance in the acceptance of different information technologies. Based upon the empirical research using the technology assessment model, a modified TAM was developed for the acceptance of Internet-based technologies by consumers. The original constructs (beliefs, attitudes, behavior and use) were retained from the TAM while the literature suggests gender, experience, complexity, and voluntariness to be useful antecedents for predicting perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and behavioral intent to use. Hypotheses were discussed in this study related to the theoretical relationships between constructs and antecedents. A survey instrument was developed using existing scales from prior TAM instruments and modifying them where appropriate. The resultant instrument can be used in future research to test how consumers adopt and accept Internet-based applications.