Factors Influencing the Adoption and Impact of Online Social Networks Use among Students within Public Universities in Abu Dhabi

The main objective of this study is to determine factors influencing the adoption and impact of online social networks use in terms of performance among students within public universities in Abu Dhabi. Although various limitations exist, the findings have been encouraging, as it has managed to shed some lights on new variables affecting the use of online social networks. This study proposed an extended model of the Unified Theory of Acceptance & use of Technology (UTAUT) and found that five variables play an important role to determine the performance impact of online social networks namely performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and actual usage, in addition to the significant moderation role that service quality plays in the model which was significant on two relationships and insignificant in the remaining two. The findings of this study can provide policymakers with important insights on how to more successfully incorporate online social networks to improve students’ performance and public university services, and how to encourage the management to ensure that students are more likely to utilize new technologies and thereby enabling better learning outcome, wider reach of services, gives students more control over their daily tasks and enhances their performance.