Dissatisfaction Does Not Mean Rejection: A Theory of Reinvention of Applicable Technologies by Mindful and Unfaithful Users

The prevailing view in IS research considers technology users as passive actors in the innovation diffusion process who face only two possible behaviors regarding the technology they receive - i.e., either use or nonuse. According to this view, individuals either accept the technology as it is presented to them or outright reject it. We contest this view and propose that a third behavior more accurately characterizes the landscape of post-adoption behaviors - that is, IT reinvention. We argue that reinvention is important for post-adoption IS research and propose a new theory. By tracing a path from IT dissatisfaction to technology reinvention, this paper makes several contributions to IS research and practice. First, it sheds lights on a complex phenomenon - that is, the consequences of IT dissatisfaction. Second, the paper informs managers on how to view IT dissatisfaction as a possible occasion for technology reinvention, with potentially positive outcomes.