Understanding the Use of Digital Remembrance Communities: An Integrated Perspective From UTAUT and DPM

This study combines the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Dual Process Model (DPM) to construct a model for understanding the adoption of digital remembrance communities. By expanding the DPM, in-depth consideration of the perceived benefits of bereavement is introduced to analyze user behavior more comprehensively. The study also highlights the role of emotional solidarity in digital remembrance and takes it as a regulating variable to observe the role of digital communities in people's dynamic responses to death. A sample of 807 bereaved people from Macao and Jiangsu province of China is used to verify the research hypothesis model. Results show that UTAUT variables significantly predict usage intention; loss-oriented coping and perceived benefits mediate the relationship between technology acceptance and intention; and emotional solidarity strengthens key paths. The findings offer theoretical insight into digital mourning behaviors and practical guidance for designing supportive online bereavement platforms.