Advancing information behavior research: An examination of “flow” and “derivatives”

Proposing new lines of inquiry in any field of research is both challenging and rewarding. It is challenging because any such efforts should be (1) nested in the research tradition of the field, (2) informed by the research undertaken in cognate disciplines, and (3) cognizant of any important trends in the contemporary world. Such efforts should also involve creative thinking to unite seemingly different streams of research and ideas to help us to move into new territories and ensure that existing research problems are considered from a more holistic perspective. This paper builds on the work of various information behavior scholars, research in the disciplines of psychology and economics, and trends in the virtual world. It focuses on in-formation behavior (as facilitated by social media) and contends that notions of flow and derivatives should be considered to advance information behavior scholarship.