Streaming During the Pandemic: The Role of Structural and Motivational Factors in Explaining Audiences’ Streaming Behaviors

• In Event: Research Division - Research-in-Progress Presentations

Abstract

Building upon the traditional agent-based and structural theories in audience research, this study explores the underlying mechanisms behind audiences’ streaming behaviors, especially during the pandemic. Specifically, by employing a mixed-method approach that combines data collected via in-depth interviews and through browser extensions, the current study aims to identify the motivational and structural factors that affected Netflix viewing behaviors and explain how they influenced audiences’ media usage individually and collectively. This study will advance the extant audience scholarship by testing how structural and motivational factors influence audiences’ streaming behaviors, which echoes recent scholarship on the intricate relationship between agent and structure. Theoretical and practical implications will also be discussed.

Author

• Chun Shao, Arizona State University