The research presented in this chapter identifies sources of the irritation felt by internet users while browsing websites and Facebook. A qualitative approach was taken, including 40 individual interviews, enabled the authors to determine the irritating factors and user reactions when using different devices such as smartphones, computers and tablets to navigate websites and Facebook. The implications of this research will help marketers and web developers to reduce internet user irritation and better understand their behavior to better meet their expectations.
TopIntroduction
The internet is considered as the biggest invention of 21th century. Indeed, the internet has permitted individuals to evolve from a simple information receptor status to an active searcher status. According to Belk (2013, p.477), the internet is “a cornucopia of information, entertainment, images, films, and music mostly all free for accessing, downloading, and sharing with others”. Nowadays, “information and communication technology (ICT) has a large impact on the society in which we live and on the development and interactions of individuals, communities, corporations” (Vošner & al., 2016, p.230). Today, there are 3.7 billion internet users – roughly half of the world’s 7.4 billion population.1 Besides, more than 60 percent of internet users are drawn to social networks every month. Sakas & al. (2015) stipulate that customers are co-creators of a company’s marketing approaches and communication strategies through social networks.
Consumers have access to all kinds of information on the internet especially with the development of mobile devices, which reduces the use of other media. The growth in the prominence of digital, social media and mobile marketing has conducted to several technological innovations such as the increasing penetration of home internet and affordable high-speed broadband connections, the development of social media platforms such as Facebook, and widespread consumer adoption to “smart” mobile devices (Lamberton & al., 2016). Through “the advent of smartphones and social media, accessibility of information is higher than it ever has been before” (Agnihotri, 2016, p.173). The use of mobile devices is increasing exponentially threw different devices such as tablets and smartphones. Global Net Index study in 2015 revealed that the most used devices are laptops, smartphones and tablets but there are other new devices that are taking important places in consumer’s internet use habits such as smart TVs, Smart Watches and smart wristband. Since the digitalization of our lifestyle, internet became a world a world in itself and like the real world it has its own irritating factors. Indeed, the internet users is frequently facing irritating factors as he’s surfing on websites and mobile applications, and it leads generally to a negative emotion.
This chapter aims to identify the sources of irritation experienced by internet users while navigating on websites and social media, depending on the device used (i.e., smartphone, tablet, or laptop). Moreover, this study will reveal the reactions to the identified irritation sources.