Technology acceptance and enacted knowledge sharing on social media among university teachers in Shanghai

Introduction Social media is integral to university teachers’ professional work, yet acceptance research explains adoption more convincingly than it explains how acceptance translates into self-reported knowledge-sharing behaviour in digitally mature higher education contexts. Method A cross-sectional survey of university teachers ( n = 384) tested an extended TAM using PLS-SEM. The model examined how cognitive (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use), affective (perceived enjoyment), and behavioural (behavioural intention, active professional engagement) factors predict knowledge sharing via social media. Findings Behavioural intention was the strongest predictor of knowledge sharing, followed by active professional engagement and perceived usefulness (PU). Perceived enjoyment (PE) also had a significant positive effect, whereas perceived ease of use (PEOU) was non-significant. This pattern suggests that in mature digital settings, usability becomes less salient while intentionality, engagement, and perceived value become more decisive. Conclusion By positioning knowledge sharing as self-reported knowledge-sharing behaviour, this study extends TAM beyond adoption-focused explanations. It also identifies a boundary condition for TAM in mature contexts, where PEOU may no longer meaningfully shape professional knowledge-sharing outcomes, re-orienting theory and practice towards value- and engagement-driven mechanisms that sustain collaboration.