Motives for Social TV Viewing Using Public and Private Communication Platforms: The Role of Social Presence

• In Event: Presence, Parasocial Experience, and Narratives

Abstract

By responding to a recent trend in a TV viewing behavior, the current study examined the role of motives for social TV viewing in public and private communication platforms. Using an online survey, data were collected from 210 college students in the U.S., who engaged in social TV viewing for March Madness, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Primary findings indicated that entertainment and communication motives were stronger in the public platform of social TV viewing, while social motive was slightly stronger in the private platform. Entertainment motive was the strongest predictor for enjoyment in the public platform, while communication motive was the strongest in the private platform. Further, social presence was a significant psychological mechanism that affected social TV enjoyment. Overall, the current study provides important theoretical and practical implications for research in social TV.

Authors

• Jihyun Kim, University of Central Florida

• Hocheol Yang

• Jinyoung Kim, Pennsylvania State U