Understanding How Danmaku Platform Amplifies Emotional Responses of Users that Leads to Platform Engagement: Based on Social Presence Theory Combined with SOR model

Abstract

This study investigates the motivations behind Danmaku engagement — a Chinese most popular participatory video platform type—through the three-dimensional perspectives of social presence theory and the SOR model. By classifying the emotional amplifications of Danmaku users into four types, this study first proposes that the amplified emotions such as happiness, surprise, sadness, and anger contribute to creating an interactive atmosphere. It then hypothesizes that this interactive atmosphere influences the development of copresence consciousness and Danmaku engagement. Additionally, the study explores the moderating effects of gender and Danmaku experience on the relationship between emotional amplification and Danmaku participation. To validate, data were collected from 242 Danmaku users in China, and the results confirmed that the majority of the hypotheses were supported. These findings emphasize the role of emotional factors in shaping engagement behaviors on video platforms and explain the complex dynamics of user participation in Danmaku systems.