Exploring Web users' optimal flow experiences

Characterizations of users' experiences on the Web are beginning to appear. Recently released research suggests that Internet use may reduce psychological well-being, for instance by increasing loneliness and depression. Our current study implies that using the Internet may provoke enjoyable experiences through the flow state, which may in turn positively influence an individual's subjective well-being and improve a person's happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect. By surveying 304 Web users through an open-ended questionnaire, this study captures a picture of Web users' flow experiences regarding their optimal situations on the Web. Results suggest that using the World Wide Web is an activity that facilitates flow, which generates an optimal, extremely enjoyable experience with total involvement and concentration. Symptoms and dimensions of flow states on the Web are reported directly from subjects' responses, such as merging of action and awareness, a loss of self-consciousness, the sense of time distortion, enjoyment, and telepresence. Introduction Flow is defined as an optimal, extremely enjoyable experience when an individual engages in an activity with total involvement, concentration and enjoyment, and experiences an intrinsic interest and the sense of time distortion during his/her engagement. When in the flow state, people become absorbed in their activity, and the focus of awareness is narrowed down to the activity itself (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975). The concentration is so intense that there is no attention left over. Irrelevant perceptions and thoughts are screened out and worries about problems disappear (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). In short, the term flow was given to describe the best feelings and the most enjoyable experience possible in human lives as `̀ the bottom line of existence'' (Csikszentmihalyi, 1982, p. 13). Recently released research by Kraut et al. (1998) suggests that increased use of the Internet may be associated with the increases in depression and loneliness, and decreases in social involvement and psychological well-being. Contrary to their arguments, a few researchers (Hoffman and Novak, 1996a, 1996b; Chen et al., 1998, 1999) have suggested that using the World Wide Web is an activity that can facilitate the occurrence of flow. If using the Web may potentially cause entry to the flow state, an enjoyable experience, Web users should eventually improve their subjective well-being through accumulated ephemeral moments. Flow seems to be the engine of evolution propelling human beings to a higher level of complexity and to an improved psychological well-being. When The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www.emerald-library.com