Virtual resonance: analyzing IPA usage intensity under COVID-19's isolating canopy.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Psychology
• Artificial Intelligence

Background:

• Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) are increasingly adopted, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Understanding factors influencing IPA usage intensity is crucial for technology development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore key factors influencing intelligent personal assistant (IPA) usage intensity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To investigate the roles of affective risk perception, cabin fever syndrome, and loneliness in IPA use and parasocial interaction.

Main Methods:

• Covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) was employed.
• Data were collected from 260 participants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Results:

• Cabin fever syndrome significantly influenced both IPA usage and parasocial interaction.
• Loneliness enhanced parasocial interaction but not usage intensity.
• Affective risk perception did not significantly impact IPA usage or parasocial interaction.
• Parasocial interaction showed a substantial connection with IPA usage intensity.

Conclusions:

• Psychological and environmental stressors like cabin fever significantly shape technology use.
• Parasocial interaction with IPAs is a key driver of their usage intensity.
• Future IPA development should consider users' emotional and social needs, particularly during health crises.