Understanding gift-giving in game live streaming on Douyu: An evaluation of PSR/social presence

Abstract

In China, live streaming has grown rapidly in recent years, with gift-giving, a unique business model in live streaming, driving the development of many industries. This article explores the association between gift-giving behavior in game live streaming and viewers' live streaming experience. Specifically, this study aims to explore the correlation between Para-social Relationships, Social Presence, and gift-giving in the context of China. Based on the survey and interview of the viewer on Douyu, a Chinese live streaming platform, this study found that there is only a weak to a medium correlation between para-social relationships and viewers' gift-giving behavior. The correlation between social presence and gift-giving was even weaker. Although the conclusion of this study may be affected by the sample size limitation, it can still provide a reference for the current research on gift-giving on Chinese live streaming platforms.

Gift-giving intentions in pan-entertainment live streaming: Based on social exchange theory

“…Due to the enormous amount of traffic, pan-entertainment live streaming in China has developed a new method of monetization: virtual gifts [ 22 , 42 ]. In recent years, an ever-expanding repertoire of visual effects has served to bolster the perception of virtual gifting as a distinguished method of interaction between streamers and viewers [ 10 ]. Virtual gifts are more appealing than other forms of participation because of their visual cues and textual notifications; every virtual gift, from a free "star" to a ¥1,000 Lamborghini, is encoded with specially designed visual representations and textual messages [ 42 ].…”

“…As gift-giving has become more prevalent in pan-entertainment live streaming, it has generated interest among scholars and researchers who are interested in understanding the motivations behind gift-giving behavior, the impact of gift-giving on streamers and viewers, and the broader social and cultural implications of this phenomenon [8,10]. Previous studies have mainly concentrated on using "stimulus organism-response" model (SOR) [11], theory of planned behavior (TPB) [12], and technology acceptance model (TAM) [13] to understand how platforms are used to sell goods or services and attract tips from viewers through livestreaming.…”

Regulating Zhibo in China: Exploring multiple levels of self‐regulation and stakeholder dynamics

“…For serious offences, streamers could be permanently banned and referred to the police (Y. Han & Zhang, 2017). These regulations are very concrete, specifying almost every possible form of content.…”

“…They volunteer for these supervision jobs and receive no pay, but sometimes streamers will gift room regulators virtual currency (which can then be exchanged for China Yuan) as a reward (Y. Han & Zhang, 2017).…”

“…The problem of objectionable content on live streaming platforms has drawn the attention of government from 2016 (Y. Han & Zhang, 2017;MCT, 2016a). In April 2016, the Ministry of Culture proposed a new agenda for streamer authorization and content regulation, announcing an investigation into illegal behaviour on major streaming platforms in China.…”