BY SUPRATEEK SARKER AND JOHN D WELLS Understanding MOBILE HANDHELD DEVICE USE AND ADOPTION Without device THE EMERGENCE OF M-COMMERCE adoption, there is no HAS GENERATED CONSIDERABLE mobile commerce EXCITEMENT AMONG BOTH PRACTI TIONERS AND ACADEMICS. THE MASS MEDIA CONTINUALLY EXTOLS EACH SEEMINGLY NOVEL IDEA ABOUT M-COMMUNICATION. M-COLLABORATION AND M-COMMERCE AND PRESENTS MANY SPECULATIONS REGARDING THE ENDLESS POTENTIAL OF WIRELESS TECH- NOLOGY 7. MANUFACTURERS ALSO CONTINUE TO PRO- DUCE WIRELESS HANDHELD DEVICES BASED ON THEIR OFTEN ABSTRACT CONCEPTIONS OF WHAT THE GENER- ALIZED MOBILE USER MIGHT VALUE AND DESIRE WHAT APPEARS TO BE MISSING. HOWEVER. IS A CLEAR UNDE STANDING OF THE MOTIVATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING MOBILE DEVICE USE AND ADOPTION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE CONSUMERS THEMSELVES. REC- OGNIZING THAT M-COMMERCE CANNOT FULFILL ITS POTENTIAL WITHOUT WIDESPREAD PROLIFERATION OF The terms"user, consumer, " and"individual" are used interchangeably in this article. TIONS OF THE ACM December 2003/Vol 46, No 12 3COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM December 2003/Vol. 46, No. 12 35 The emergence of m-commerce has generated considerable excitement among both practi￾tioners and academics. The mass media continually extols each seemingly novel idea about m-communication, m-collaboration, and m-commerce, and presents many speculations regarding the endless potential of wireless tech￾nology [7]. Manufacturers also continue to pro￾duce wireless handheld devices based on their often abstract conceptions of what the “gener￾alized” mobile user1 might value and desire. What appears to be missing, however, is a clear under￾standing of the motivations and circumstances surrounding mobile device use and adoption from the perspective of the consumers themselves. Rec￾ognizing that m-commerce cannot fulfill its potential without widespread proliferation of Without device adoption, there is no mobile commerce. Understanding MOBILE HANDHELD DEVICE USE AND ADOPTION BY SUPRATEEK SARKER AND JOHN D. WELLS 1The terms “user,” “consumer,” and “individual” are used interchangeably in this article