Impact of social influence and users’ perception of coolness on smartwatch behavior

We explored the motives behind switching one’s smartwatch, focusing on 2 divergent motivations that relate to social influence and the mobile and visible nature of these watches. Our findings and a review of related work indicated that the social motive for switching a smartwatch was coolness, that is, distinguishing oneself from others, because owning the latest model of smartwatch is a way to demonstrate having ample financial resources. The perceived benefit of switching one’s smartwatch was associated more with coolness and the identity formation process, and less with actual utility or social influence. Further, the effects of similarity avoidance based on smartwatch purchasing intention were mediated by the effect of identity formation. Our findings may shed light on the nature of smartwatch uses and the motives that drive smartwatch users’ choice to upgrade their devices.