I'm Proud of It: Consumer Technology Appropriation and Psychological Ownership

Abstract

In this conceptual paper, using the lens of self-design we examine the relationship between consumer technology appropriation and psychological ownership, suggesting that pride plays a key and multi-faceted role. Resolving discrepancies in the literature, we propose that authentic pride operates as an antecedent of psychological ownership, while hubristic pride strengthens the effect of psychological ownership on outcomes such as economic valuation and word-of-mouth. We further enrich the conceptualization by considering the moderating effects of the technology consumption context (public versus private) as well as consumers’ perceptions of situation strength (strong versus weak behavioral constraints).

Keywords: Psychological Ownership, Digital Technology, Technology Appropriation, Pride, Perceived Ownership