The Path to Hedonic Information System Use Addiction: A Process Model in the Context of Social Networking Sites.

This article focuses on the development of addiction to hedonic information systems (IS), particularly social networking sites (SNSs), by proposing a longitudinal process model that explains how and why such addiction evolves over time. The model identifies three phases of use—nominal, compulsive, and addicted—each characterized by distinct user psychological needs, salient technology affordances (e.g., visibility, connectivity, availability, content exchange, social entertainment), and control mechanisms based on cybernetic theory (sensing, comparing, regulating). The study emphasizes that addiction arises from the interaction between individual needs and technology features, with deficiencies in self-control facilitating progression toward addiction. These findings have implications for designing technology features and interventions to help users maintain control and for informing ethical policies addressing hedonic IS addiction.