What makes metaverse users immersed in the flow state in an emerging market? An application of affordance theory and ISSM

Abstract

This study aims to extend our understanding of how psychological and technological stimuli drive the user's entrance to the flow state and, in turn, affect user satisfaction and motivate them to continue their use of the metaverse. Building upon the stimuli-organism-response model, we theorize and examine the forces that cause users to develop flow state experiences, which are anticipated to improve user satisfaction and encourage continued use of the metaverse. We empirically test our hypotheses using a structural equation modeling technique on a sample of 306 metaverse users in China. The results provide strong support for the important role of psychological and technological stimuli forces as determinants of the development of users’ flow state experiences in the metaverse, which is further positively related to their satisfaction with the metaverse and continued use.