The effect of flow experience in new media usage on risk perception and online touristic purchase intention

Considering specific properties of the tourism product, assessment only with abstract information and promises and tourist's requirement of managing purchase process with such abstract information have integrated tourism sector with information industry. Tourists who prefer social content over professional content in purchasing process with new media fall in need of social approval to reduce ambiguity that is inherent to the tourism product and the rick perception created by this kind of ambiguity. Tourists' need for social approval steers them towards a more intensive flow with new media. It can be considered that correct management of the flow at this point and feedback served for social contents in this flow processes will put a positive effect on the purchase intent. Therefore, this doctoral thesis discusses and evaluates risk perception which directly affects tourists' purchase intent in tourism sector that has turned into an information intensive industry, on the axis of new media and flow theory. It is asserted with findings that increased flow with new media reduces touristic risk perception and increases the purchase intent. All findings are considered in a multidisciplinary dimension and compared with wide scale surveys. The multidisciplinary literature area creates different perspectives and allows criticism of many concepts as emphasized in the discussions section. Keywords: Human-Technology Interaction, Flow Theory, New Media, Online Risk Perception, Online Touristic Purchase Intention