Posted 4. April 2009, 10:26 by Ludovic Le Marchand comments (1)
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The theory of flow was introduced by Csikszentmihalyi and defined as “the holistic sensation that people feel when they act with total involvement�(1975, 1977, 1988). Csikszentmihalyi considers eight components of flow: clear goals, challenges match skills, concentration and focus, control, loss of self-consciousness, transformation of time and the activity becoming autotelic. Flow is a state of absorption applicable to a wide range of activities such as sports, games, hobbies (Novak, Hoffman and Yung 2000), however this essay will be focused on the application of the flow construct during Internet users interactions with company websites and the second generation of websites such as social networks, blogs and forums.

Due to the growing impact of the Internet (Macias 2003; McMillian and Hwang 2002, Sheehan and Doherty cited in Sicilia and Ruiz 2007), flow has been studied in computer-mediated environments and is considered for understanding consumers experience in an online interactive environment (Novak, Hoffman and Yung 2000; Klein 200). In order to give a better understanding of flow, the term interactvity needs to be defined, hence Mahfouz (2003) states that it is ‘the ability of direct interface interaction between users and the system in order to modify a web site’s look, feel, and content, according to their personal preferences’.

Moreover, the lack of knowledge in making the use of the Web a compelling customer experience (Hoffman, Novak and Chatterjee 1995; Morr 1997; Schwartz 1996; Tchong 1998), drove Hoffman and Novak(1996) in extending the concept of flow “to encompass consumer navigation behavior in online environments�(1997). Consequently, the construct has been defined as “ a state occurring during network navigation� relying on four characteristics: (1)�seamless sequence of responses facilitated by machine interactivity, (2) intrinsically enjoyable (3) loss of self-consciousness, (4) self-reinforcing

This essay will provide an understanding of the application of flow on company websites and certain Web 2.0 components which will be forums, social networks and blogs.

From a marketing point of view, understanding network navigation can permit marketers building appropriate websites, consequently considering that flow must be maintained during the website experience along with the need for Internet users to process information. Moreover, the identification of experiential flow through intrinsic motivation and goal-directed flow through extrinsic motivation, helps to explain online behaviour.

Firstly, the flow construct will be explored within company websites. Siekpe(2005) points out that most companies use their websites as a communication tool rather than for transaction purposes. Consequently, the nature of company websites as communication tool, already diminish the inhibition of the flow, as Rettie(2001 cited by Molesworth 2009)) considers “consciousness of costs� as a flow inhibitor.

Many companies websites offer interactive tools related to the communication of their brand, for example, Volvo offers its website viewers a short film called Volvo Race in which the viewers are involved in an entertaining adventure by choosing to follow the main characters. The energy company E.ON offers users the possibility to create an interactive virtual house, in order to evaluate the consumption of energy and influence consumers in saving energy, to communicate the green values of the brand. Hence, it can be acknowledged that marketers can influence behaviour and communicate brand personality through the use of interactivity with consumers by maintaining and creating flow.

By creating interactivity with Internet users, most companies are building their websites as a communication tool by using the engagement of consumers of visiting their websites. Consequently, company websites are not interrupting consumers in their virtual experience as these Internet users asserted their will to be engaged with the company. Hence, marketers need to understand the construct of flow in order to build appropriate websites maintaining and even creating flow for communicating the most effectively the values and personality of brands.

In order to build a compelling website to consumers, marketers need to understand the concepts of experiential and goal-directed of flow. If marketers do not set clear objectives for their site and do not satisfy these two concepts linked to the will of consumers, flow can be inhibited. E-market websites represent clearly the possibility of these two different kinds of flows by having experiential and utilitarian consumers.

Experiential consumers consider shopping online as pleasurable and are looking for bargains by exploring various websites, forums such as hotukdeals.co.uk and comparison websites like comparethemarket.com. Whereas utilitarian consumers are goal-directed and task orientated by seeking information on a particular product, therefore shopping can be considered as a mean to an end. Consequently, marketers need to build appropriate websites for both types of consumers in order to maintain intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Either ways, long loading time and inaccurate research results will inhibit the state of flow among consumers. Two alternative arguments have been considered for determining whether the flow state is appropriate for communication and persuasion objectives.

On the one hand, Eveland and Dunwoody(2000) point out that the fact that the individual is in complete absorption underlines the possibility that the elaboration of the information will not occur as the virtual experience is beyond information processing. On the other hand, the state of flow implies in focusing attention on a goal or task (Webster, Trevino and Ryan, 1993) which implies a high level of concentration (Csikszentmihalyi 1990; Hoffman and Novak 1996).

Novak, Hoffman and Duhachek (2003) find more evidence of flow on goal-directed than experiential activities. Hence, it is considered that if consumers have an information-seeking goal, the greater is the state of flow, the more concentrated and focused will be the consumers in paying attention to the interaction. Consequently, absorbed in his goal of seeking information, the virtual experience or any other distractions will disturb him from elaborating information.

From a marketing point of view, in order to benefit from consumers experiencing the state of flow, consideration of advertising on the second generation of websites such as social networks can be considered as effective to a certain extent.

Flow and Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a term firstly coined by O’Reilly (2004) defines the second generation of the web connoting interactivity between users online through web-based communities such as forums, blogs, photo and videosharing sites, wikis and social networks.

According to Mintel(2007), students set the trends of social networks and due to the fast-changing and porosity of these websites, flow needs to be maintained among members in order to generate profit through marketing tools such as advertising.

According to the importance of Facebook, as Top UK social network and having over 175 millions users, this example will be used to demonstrate different techniques to generate flow among its members.
From a social network only providing a “page� for each member, Facebook has now more than 52.000 applications in which members can interact, developed photo and video sharing, groups in which forums are available and a chat allowing users to interact with their “friends�. Therefore, it can be considered that Facebook initiatives in providing the interest of Internet users on their website strives to maintain flow by making the social network “intrinsically enjoyable�. According to my primary research for “measuring users’ attitudes towards advertising on Facebook�(Appendix), it has been found that over 81% of Facebook members visit the social network daily and especially more than once a day, consequently it can be underlined that Facebook users experience flow as the construct induces the will to come back to the website(Nel, van Niekerk, Berthon and Davies 1999).
Rettie (2001) points out that advertising inhibits flow on the Web, consequently, according to Mintel(2008), advertising on social networks is one of the main reason for users to switch on to another website. Not only advertising can be seen as intrusive in the sense that social networks are online communities, but it is simply seen as the interruption of the action and involvement, it acts as a return to the reality at the expense of the online hyper reality in which users experience the flow. On the other hand, my primary research on attitudes towards advertising on Facebook found an overall acceptance of advertising. This acceptance can be related to the understanding of the economical rather than the social aspect of advertising, which was predominant back in the 1950’s in the United States. In other words, it could be considered that due to the significant size of Facebook and a possible dependence to it inducing the state of flow among members, users accept advertising as a mean for their online community to survive. Nevertheless, from an advertising point of view, despite affinity targeting, primary research found little advertising recall, consequently advertising effectiveness on Facebook can be questioned. Therefore, the extensive flow experienced by Facebook users might be inhibit by the reality of the economic aspect and acceptance of advertising, however the lack of effectiveness of advertising demonstrate the difficulty for advertisers to maintain flow.

Hence, the process of flow and the fragmented nature of the Web needs to be understood by advertisers in order to interact with Internet users. The Web is the most fragmented medium as it communicates the widest range of niche interests, consequently advertisers needs to communicate their message by maintaining the flow through accurate affinity targeting and creativity in order to create interactivity through a perceived two-way symmetrical among users. For example, in the future effective advertising on Playfire, a social network for gamers, could be trailers for games and interactive demo of videogames as it will maintain flow and conserve hyper reality.

As mentioned previously, flow occurs when an individual set of skills matches the challenges and when the activity becomes autotelic, in other words when the individual perceives it as worth undertaking for its own sake. Creation of personal blogs and participating in online forums can create flow, as a personal blog represents a challenge matching increasing skills, as the more familiar an Internet user will be with the creation of a personal, the more skills he will adopt and maintain flow by adding new features to its blog such as uploading photos and videos, driving circulation to it or even interacting with other blogs through partnerships for driving circulation.

Participating on forums, can also create flow as it is challenging skills of individuals, like a discussion various individuals add their knowledge increasing the overall skills of users, therefore forum discussions are built on input, consequently participants become more familiar with the subject and maintain flow, an example of forum is the Cemp forum. On the other hand, possible participants willing to enter a mature discussion might be a challenge not matching their skills. Moreover, a participant including intellectual knowledge beyond the skills of other individuals can put an end to the discussion, therefore like a social network, forums needs to create an ambience for a particular set of individuals (Phillips 2009).

From the use of social networks to blogs, it can be considered that Internet users assert their identity and interests, being in a state of flow as the activity is autotelic. Not only consumers can assert their identity by belonging to social networks, creating personal blogs but can also adopt multiple identity, a personality they would like to be or even enter in a virtual identity through the use of avatars or by playing videogames.

In conclusion, the essay showed the importance of the state of flow among users which can occur online. Consequently, flow needs to be understood by marketers in order to benefit from it by building appropriate websites and interactive advertising in the most fragmented medium in which users have the power to go elsewhere and can even create and participate in undermining brands, organisations and websites.

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