New technologies as opportunities for flow experience: A framework for the analysis

New technologies present remarkable opportunities for flow experience. We provide an integrated theoretical framework for the study of flow in Human- Technologies Interaction referring to two specific cognitive processes - presence and social presence - whose goals are the control of the activity of the Self (presence) and the understanding of the activity of the Other (social presence). On the individual level, the chance for a technology user to enter a state of flow depends on how much the technology addresses the user’s hierarchy of intentions (presence): I am present in a real or virtual space if I manage to put my intentions into action (enacting them). On this basis, we elaborate on a new model aimed to describe how a "Perfect Interaction" (P.I.M.) takes place. On the collective level, research shows that a peculiar type of flow state could be reached by creative groups. Central to the presented model is the definition of a shared intersubjective space, which we identify with (highest level of) social presence. When this is achieved, participants can experience networked flow, an optimal state that maximizes the creative potential of the group.