A Framework for Purchase Intentions Toward a Brand-New Smartphone Based on Self-Presentation and Aesthetics

This study examines the effects of self-presentation and aesthetics on purchase intentions toward a brand-new smartphone through a research model that accounts for these intentions in a more comprehensive manner than traditional ICT frameworks. The constructs were selected based on the three-level processing theory: aesthetics at the visceral level, perceived usefulness and playfulness at the behavioural level, and self-presentation at the reflective level. The hypotheses were developed from self-presentation theory and the attractiveness stereotype which is one of theories in human-computer interactions (HCI). For the validation of hypotheses, the research model was empirically tested for the purchase intention of Apple's iPhone5 by university students in Korea.