Dress to Impress and Serve Well to Prevail: Modelling Regressive Discontinuance for Social Networking Sites

Regressive discontinuance is a form of IS discontinuance that occurs due to adoption failure. The phenomenon of regressive discontinuance takes place between the adoption and continuation stages. Among the other types of IS discontinuance, this phenomenon has received little attention earlier due to the sparse availability of IS solutions. However, there are abundant IS solutions in this digital age, and keeping a user committed to it for a longer duration is a challenge. This study has been developed to enhance the knowledge about the regressive discontinuance phenomenon by employing the exploratory sequential design of mixed methods research designs. With the help of information processing and experiential perspectives of consumption, we developed a conceptual model in phase one using qualitative research. The lens of complexity theory was further utilized to identify those composite conditions that result in regressive discontinuance. A contrarian analysis, necessary condition analysis, and sufficient condition analysis have been performed to deduce the core and peripheral conditions that affect a person’s early discontinuation decision. This study has been conducted for mobile social media applications and has implications for multiple stakeholders.