ORIGINAL EMPIRICAL RESEARCH Technology readiness and usage: a global-identity perspective Stanford A. Westjohn & Mark J. Arnold & Peter Magnusson & Srdan Zdravkovic & Joyce Xin Zhou Received: 22 June 2007 / Accepted: 30 December 2008 / Published online: 3 February 2009 # Academy of Marketing Science 2009 Abstract The past several decades have witnessed the rapid globalization of consumption markets and widespread diffu- sion of information and communication technologies. How- ever, the use of technology by consumers is not a foregone conclusion. We investigate the role of global self-identity on the orientation toward technology readiness and usage. Relying on a social-identity model of motivation as our theoretical framework, we propose a model which incorpo- rates global self-identity (i.e., cosmopolitanism/parochialism and global/local identification) and self-regulation (i.e., promotion and prevention focus) in predicting technology readiness and usage in a self-service technology context. The proposed model is tested in two different cultures, the U.S. and China, and is contrasted with two theoretically-competing models as well. Results provide support for the hypothesized model, and a number of limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed. Keywords Global identity . Technology readiness . Identity theory . Regulatory focus theory . Global consumer . Cosmopolitanism . Global identification . Promotion prevention focus . Self-service technology Introduction Over the past several decades the world has witnessed the globalization of markets and the rapid diffusion of information and communication technologies (Businessline 2006). China, for example, has experienced a growth curve for internet and mobile phone usage similar to that of the U.S. and the E.U. (Zhu and Wang 2005). However, even with the accelerating diffusion of technology throughout the world, the use of technology by consumers is not a foregone conclusion. Studies investigating predictors of technology usage have generally focused on ease of use, usefulness, and other technology design features (Meuter et al. 2005; Zhu et al. 2007) as well as consumer demographics and traits (Dabholkar and Bagozzi 2002; Bruner and Kumar 2007; Weijters et al. 2007). However, recent research suggests that identity-related influences may be just as important as traditional variables in explaining technology usage. Stud- ies have shown, for example, that self-identity and social expressiveness are significant drivers of intentions to use mobile messaging and interactive services (Nysveen et al. 2005; Thorbjørnsen et al. 2007). The logic underlying such J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. (2009) 37:250–265 DOI 10.1007/s11747-008-0130-0 S. A. Westjohn (*) Department of Marketing and International Business, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606, USA e-mail: stanford.westjohn@utoledo.edu M. J. Arnold Department of Marketing, Saint Louis University, 3674 Lindell Blvd., Davis-Shaughnessy Hall, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA e-mail: arnoldm2@slu.edu P. Magnusson Department of Marketing, Northern Illinois University, 128 Barsema Hall, Dekalb, IL 60115, USA e-mail: magnusson@niu.edu S. Zdravkovic Department of Marketing, Bryant University, 1150 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, RI, USA e-mail: szdravko@bryant.edu J. X. Zhou School of Business, Emporia State University, 1200 Commercial St., Emporia, KS 66801, USA e-mail: joycexzhou@gmail.com