HARNESSING SMARTPHONE TECHNO-EUSTRESSORS: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF PRIMARY APPRAISAL FROM A SOCIAL COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE

While the existing technostress literature has concentrated on the negative impacts of technology, this study examines the conditions that lead individuals to perceive smartphone stressors as motivating challenges rather than constraints. Drawing on social cognitive lens and technostress literature, we theorize that individual factors such as IT identity, IT self-efficacy, and perceived enjoyment shape the individual cognitive appraisal process, and the formation of techno-eustress creators. We also propose that smartphone techno-eustress creators positively affect personal innovativeness with smartphones. By examining smartphone-induced eustress, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how technology can promote individual growth and development. Empirical results based on a sample of 410 smartphone users confirm most of the hypotheses, shedding light on how smartphones and IS in general can serve as catalysts for growth and professional development. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for theory and practice.