A Study on Personal Traits, Social Influences and, the Flow Experience of Video Conference Service Users

Purpose - Users utilize video conference services to enhance job performance. If they feel the flow experience while performing duties through video conferencing, they will continue to use the video conference service. The main purpose of this study is to comprehensively verify how the personal traits and social factors of video conference service users impact flow experience. In addition, it is necessary to understand the direct impact of technology readiness on flow to maintain the use intention of video conference service users. Design/Methodology/Approach - Based on the hypotheses results, this study first identified the negative effect of technology readiness on perceived usefulness and the positive effect on perceived ease of use and flow experience. Second, both visibility and subjective norm factors showed direct impacts on perceived usefulness, but no impact on perceived ease of use. Lastly, all perception factors such as perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, strongly influence flow experience. Findings - This study combined fundamental theories, including flow theory, technology readiness, self-image congruence, social factors, and perception factors, to construct an integrated research framework. Furthermore, a total of 223 valid samples from users in South Korea that had used a paid video conference service were collected and analyzed. Research Implications - The following are the primary theoretical implications of this study. Firstly, the current study extended the research subjects to not only students but also office workers and instructors; secondly, it determined the influential relationships between personality traits, social dimensions, and perceptions of users with flow experiences. Moreover, several practical implications are also suggested to introduce some methods of developing new potential clients and retaining existing customers for service providers.