From personalized gamification to knowledge outcomes: the role of digital literacy, information quality and online flow experience

Purpose This study aims to examine how personalized gamification (PG) and digital literacy (DL) shape perceived information quality (PIQ), online flow experience (OFE) and knowledge management outcomes in social media environments. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on knowledge management theory, the study proposes a model linking PG and DL with PIQ, OFE, knowledge creation (KC) and knowledge storage (KS). Explicit knowledge application (EKA) is examined as a moderator of the OFE–KS relationship. Data were collected from 293 demographically balanced social media users in the United States through Prolific and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings PG and DL positively influence PIQ, which subsequently strengthens OFE. OFE is positively associated with both KC and KS. The serial indirect effects of PG and DL on KC and KS through PIQ and OFE are also supported. However, EKA does not significantly moderate the relationship between OFE and KS. Research limitations/implications The findings show how platform personalization and users’ digital capabilities jointly shape information evaluation, immersive engagement and knowledge outcomes. They also place PIQ and OFE at the center of the process through which social media interactions contribute to knowledge creation and storage. Originality/value The study brings PG, DL, information quality and OFE into a single knowledge management model. It clarifies how platform-related and user-related factors work together in digital knowledge processes and shows that EKA does not alter the effect of OFE on knowledge storage.