Gamemania: What Makes A Virtual Existence So Seductive?

While much has been written and said about consumer addiction to digital technology in the media, little academic research has actually been conducted on post-purchase technology consumption and its negative impact on consumer welfare. This dissertation takes an important step in this direction by examining the technology believed to have the highest addiction potential - online video games. Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs), such as World of Warcraft, have been described by users and popular press as heroinware and maddeningly addictive. This study investigates the drivers behind the consumer abuse of gaming technologies, the root causes of their gaming addiction with respect to the user as well as the specific technology characteristics in the context of MMORPGs. It is hypothesized that the pleasure of control, the perceived fluidity of identity in the online environment, as well as certain gamer motivations (achievement, social, escape) are the main causes of gamemania. However, whether excessive gaming becomes addiction also depends upon the consumers\u27 self-regulation mechanisms. Most of the hypotheses were supported except for those related to pleasure of control. Somewhat unexpected, the relationship between amount of gaming and gaming addiction propensity was found to be very weak. Moreover, an interesting finding was the negative effect of a social motivation on dysfunctional gaming

Goal Complexes: Approaching the Task to Develop Rather Than Demonstrate Ability

This research uses the conceptualization of the 3 x 2 achievement goal model and the framework of goal complexes to investigate relationships among achievement goals and their underlying reasons. Data for this study were collected from two independent samples of graduate and undergraduate college students. Convergent results were obtained in both samples; they indicate that regardless of valence, students identified closest with aims related to task, followed by self-related and then to other-related types of goals. Moreover, for task- and self-related aims but not for other-related ones, participants endorsed stronger approach than avoidance goals. Across all types of aims students identified closer with the development than with the demonstration of ability

Goal Complexes: Approaching the Task to Develop Rather Than Demonstrate Ability

This research uses the conceptualization of the 3 x 2 achievement goal model and the framework of goal complexes to investigate relationships among achievement goals and their underlying reasons. Data for this study were collected from two independent samples of graduate and undergraduate college students. Convergent results were obtained in both samples; they indicate that regardless of valence, students identified closest with aims related to task, followed by self-related and then to other-related types of goals. Moreover, for task- and self-related aims but not for other-related ones, participants endorsed stronger approach than avoidance goals. Across all types of aims students identified closer with the development than with the demonstration of ability

Analyzing student motivation at the confluence of achievement goals and their underlying reasons: an investigation of goal complexes

This research investigated the interrelations among achievement goals and the underlying reasons for pursuing them. To do so, it utilized the framework of goal complexes, which are regulatory constructs defined at the intersection of aims and reasons. Data from two independent large samples of New Zealand university students showed that across types of reasons, namely development versus demonstration of competence/ability, and approach-avoidance tendencies pertaining to aims and reasons, respectively, participants rated lowest items mapping normative aims. Additionally, for most non-normative achievement goals, which in this study were related to task and own past performance, students endorsed more strongly items pertaining to the development rather than the demonstration of competence/ability. This pattern of results was reversed for approach—but not avoidance—related reasons associated with normative aims. These findings are largely consistent with the tenets of cognitive dissonance theory and have important implications for pedagogical practice, policy development, and the study of self-evaluation and cognitive processes. In addition, they delineate new directions for fruitful future research

Analyzing student motivation at the confluence of achievement goals and their underlying reasons: an investigation of goal complexes

This research investigated the interrelations among achievement goals and the underlying reasons for pursuing them. To do so, it utilized the framework of goal complexes, which are regulatory constructs defined at the intersection of aims and reasons. Data from two independent large samples of New Zealand university students showed that across types of reasons, namely development versus demonstration of competence/ability, and approach-avoidance tendencies pertaining to aims and reasons, respectively, participants rated lowest items mapping normative aims. Additionally, for most non-normative achievement goals, which in this study were related to task and own past performance, students endorsed more strongly items pertaining to the development rather than the demonstration of competence/ability. This pattern of results was reversed for approach—but not avoidance—related reasons associated with normative aims. These findings are largely consistent with the tenets of cognitive dissonance theory and have important implications for pedagogical practice, policy development, and the study of self-evaluation and cognitive processes. In addition, they delineate new directions for fruitful future research

Entifying your brand among Twitter-using millennials

Members of the Millennial Generation (‘millennials’) are strongly attached to their smartphones and engrossed in social media. They frequently post pictures and tweet about the products they like and buy. Consequently, established consumer brands unable to master the use of Twitter and other social media are likely to lose their ability to communicate with this generation. This article reports findings from a study of millennials’ Twitter usage and presents the concept of brand entification as the next evolutionary stage of brand personality made possible by this social media. Brand entification refers to a distinct emotional and cognitive attachment between heavy-Twitter-using millennials and the brands they like, and to a unique set of attributions they make toward the brand. Herein, we explain the nature of brand entification, describe how it emerges, and distill some key lessons for brand managers interested in reaching Twitter-using millennials

Is Your Brand a Living Entity?

A few companies are using Twitter to converse with followers in ways that build a new kind of connection to the brand. What is Twitter communicating about your brand to young adults