ICR student Pham publishes research in 'PLOS ONE'

Giang V. Pham, a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Research who is graduating with the College of Media Class of 2022, has had a paper accepted for publication in the journal PLOS ONE.

Pham is the lead author of "Regretful pleasure: Toward an understanding of flow cost in media use." Pham's ICR advisor Brittany Duff, associate professor of advertising, is co-author.

The paper address the idea of "flow" states and how there can be negative sides to flow in media use. 

Abstract: "Flow (state of intense focus) during media use has been largely considered a desirable experience, with technologies developed to maximize the chance of encountering flow in computer-mediated environments. However, the total absorption of attention due to flow could be problematic in contexts where the user has multiple predetermined goals, and engaging with the flow-inducing media could cost them resources that may be otherwise devoted to other goals. When flow imposes a cost on the user’s goal performance, it may also reduce their post-experience gratification with the flow-inducing media. The present study proposes a novel theoretical framework to begin understanding the potential cost of flow in media use with supporting evidence from two survey and vignette studies (N = 235 and N = 245). Its findings will extend human-computer interaction research by highlighting the double-edged impact that flow might have on media users’ larger goal performance and downstream well-being."