The Influence of Social Media on Users’ Continuance Intention Toward Autonomous Taxis: Evidence from China

Against the backdrop of the accelerating global commercialization of autonomous driving, users’ continuance intention has become a critical determinant of whether enterprises can achieve sustainable development. Although existing studies have examined the role of social media in this domain, its psychological and behavioral impacts on users in the context of new technologies remain insufficiently explored. To address this gap, we draw on the S-O-R theoretical framework to examine how social media influences users’ continuance intentions. Specifically, we investigate how social media shapes users’ attitude (experiential attitude and instrumental attitude), and self-efficacy, which in turn drive their continuance intention to use autonomous taxis, as well as the moderating role of pro-environmental self-identity. Based on a survey of 817 respondents in China, the results reveal that social media exerts a positive influence on continuance intention, experiential attitude, and instrumental attitude. Furthermore, experiential attitude, instrumental attitude, and self-efficacy significantly enhance users’ continuance intention, with pro-environmental self-identity moderating the relationship between experiential attitude and continuance intention. In addition to its theoretical and modeling contributions, this study provides practical insights for firms and marketers in the early stages of autonomous taxi deployment.