Applying Evolutionary Psychology to the Study of Post-adoption Information Technology Use: Reinforcement, Extension, or Revolution?

Abstract

Evolutionary Psychology is a relatively new field of research focusing on evolved mental traits and their impact on human behavior. It provides the basis on which innovative theoretical models can be developed in the context of information systems research, which is usually concerned with human behavior toward information and communication technologies . Yet it is important to recognize that not all information systems phenomena can be fully explained based on human evolution, a problem that can be addressed by the careful and selective integration of evolutionary and non-evolutionary information systems theories . This chapter discusses opportunities and difficulties associated with evolutionary information systems theorizing, provides an example of an evolutionary information systems theory (media naturalness theory ), and shows how that theory can be profitably integrated with a non-evolutionary information systems theory.