The Form of Happiness in the Digital Age: Examining the Effect of Internet Usage in Digital Leisure on Flow Experience

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of internet usage on the flow experience of university students participating in digital leisure activities. The study utilized the relational screening model, one of the quantitative research methods. The demographic information form created by the researchers, the Leisure Internet Usage Scale (LIUS) developed by Şimşek and Çevik (2023), and the Digital Leisure Flow Experience Scale (DLFES) developed by Er and Cengiz (2023) were used as measurement tools. When the findings were examined, no significant difference was found in leisure internet usage in terms of gender variable, while significant differences were found in terms of digital leisure flow experience. When the participants were examined in terms of digital device usage time, significant differences were found in terms of leisure internet usage, shopping and multimedia usage sub-dimensions, and digital leisure flow experience. A positive relationship was found between digital leisure internet use, social interaction and information/self improvement sub-dimensions, and flow experience. In addition, it was concluded that the purposes of digital leisure internet usage, social interaction and information/self improvement, were predictors of flow experience. The results obtained are examined comparatively with different studies in the discussion section.

Keywords

• Leisure
• digital leisure
• internet usage
• digital leisure flow experience

Dijital Çağda Mutluluk Formu: Dijital Serbest Zamanda İnternet Kullanımının Akış Deneyimine Etkisinin İncelenmesi

Öz

Bu çalışmanın amacı dijital serbest zaman etkinliklerine katılan üniversite öğrencilerinin internet kullanımının akış deneyimine etkisinin incelenmesidir. Çalışmada nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden ilişkisel tarama modelinden yararlanılmıştır. Ölçüm aracı olarak araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulan demografik bilgi formu, Şimşek ve Çevik (2023) tarafından geliştirilen Serbest Zaman İnternet Kullanım Ölçeği ile Er ve Cengiz (2023) tarafından geliştirilen Dijital Serbest Zaman Akış Deneyimi Ölçeği (DSZ-ADÖ) kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular incelendiğinde, cinsiyet değişkeni açısından serbest zaman internet kullanımında anlamlı farklılık tespit edilmezken, dijital serbest zaman akış deneyimi açısından anlamlı farklılıklar tespit edilmiştir. Katılımcıların dijital cihaz kullanım süresi açısından incelendiğinde ise serbest zaman internet kullanımı alışveriş ve çoklu medya kaynağı alt boyutları ve dijital serbest zaman akış deneyimi açısından anlamlı farklılıklar saptanmıştır. Dijital serbest zamanda internet kullanımı sosyal etkileşim ve bilgi edinme/kişisel gelişim alt boyutları ile akış deneyimi arasında pozitif yönlü bir ilişki tespit edilmiştir. Bununla birlikte dijital serbest zamanda internet kullanımı sosyal etkileşim ve bilgi edinme amaçlarının akış deneyiminin yordayıcısı olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar farklı çalışmalarla birlikte tartışma bölümünde karşılaştırmalı şekilde incelenmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Serbest zaman
• dijital serbest zaman
• internet kullanımı
• dijital serbest zaman akış deneyimi

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