Why mobile users trust smartphone social networking services? A PLS-SEM approach

Through advanced mobile technologies, mobile users can access updated information and adjust plans during travel accordingly. Such mobile services can integrate with social networking services (SNS) to share and access information on the go. Not much research exists on mobile social commerce, specifically about users' trust in travel information and advice from smartphone SNS. This study presents a quantitative survey to explore what influences users' trust in travel advice acquired from smartphone SNS (TTASS). The findings show that (1) mobile users' trust in travel advice acquired from smartphone SNS significantly associates with their perceived value of smartphone SNS (PVSS) and enjoyment of SNS activity (ESA); (2) ESA significantly associates with mobile users' privacy concerns (PC) and perceived risk (PR), and such PR significantly associates with PC; and (3) PVSS significantly associates with ESA and PR. These findings can help managers and decision makers in the tourism industry keep pace with research on consumer attitudes and innovations in smartphone SNS, and make favorable tactics to benefit from mobile social commerce in the ubiquitous commerce environment.