An investigation of non-use and abandonment of microblogging

Abstract

We examine the non-usage and abandonment of microblogging, identifying why people do not use, or why they abandon their microblogging accounts. Studying non-usage is important for microblogging service providers to develop strategies to address users' concerns, and for businesses to explore new marketing and information dissemination channels. Focus group interviews were conducted to uncover non-usage reasons, and surveys containing more detailed questions were administered. Our analysis suggests that preference for other technologies, privacy concern and time constraints are the top three reasons contributing to the non-use and abandonment of microblogs. The paper also proposes potential improvements to attract users to microblogging services.