Title: Exploring the Roles of Gender and
Ethnicity
as Antecedents of Trust in 3D Immersive Electronic Commerce
Abstract: The next generation Internet
is expected to be a complete visual, audio experience, and possibly
haptic
experience. It will emulate real life experiences as virtual
worlds
filled with virtual objects simulating real world interact with users
naturally.
Users are also expected to be represented in avatars, providing a sense
of
self-identity and personality. While the Internet is likely to
move
into 3D format with Second Life leading the pack, the fate of
electronic
commerce in this light has largely been unexplored.
Questions
as to the effects and impact of such virtual electronic commerce,
especially
virtual 3D malls or stores in an immersive online environment on web
users
are still not answered. This study forms an early exploration on
the
effects and impact of gender and ethnicity towards the perceived
usefulness,
perceived ease of use, trust, and intended use of the electronic
commerce
on the 3D online virtual malls or stores. Its results show that
these
factors have a significant impact on how such online malls and stores
are
perceived by users in Malaysia. The implications and proposed
future
directions of the study are also discussed.
Authors: Kung-Keat Teoh and Eze Uchenna Cyril