Make Use of the Pleasures of Electronic Media

Certain pleasures seem to be uniquely intensified in electronic media: "immersion" is the sense of being transported to another reality; "rapture" is entranced attachment to the objects in that reality; and "agency" is the user's delight in having an effect on another world. Taken to an extreme, these "pleasures" can lead to the addictive-compulsive behavior of hard-core game players. Psychologically, however, a pleasurable interaction with the computer carries with it the desirable characteristics of attention, memorability, and self-confidence. The author of interactive text should be aware of these uniquely electronic characteristics, and use them accordingly.