China’s New Mania for Live Streaming: Gender Differences in Motives and Uses of Social Live Streaming Services

ABSTRACT This study examined gender differences in social live streaming service (SLSS) use by focusing on audience needs for Real-life Communication, Escape, Fun Seeking, Partnership Seeking, and Social Interaction. Results of an online survey (N = 312) of Chinese SLSS audiences’ reasons for SLSS use, preferred genres, amount of usage, actual media behavior are reported. Based on Uses and Gratifications theory, we didn’t find enough evidence to show that the man-dominated image of SLSS use cultivated by Chinese media is true, and we argued that the exaggerated gender differences regarding audiences’ use levels and rewarding expenses were without merit. Nevertheless, we did find some differences due to gender. For example, male audiences are more likely to watch and prefer live game broadcasting, and their mediated communication is more active than females.

[1]  S. Thompson,et al.  Frazzled by Facebook? An Exploratory Study of Gender Differences in Social Network Communication among Undergraduate Men and Women , 2012 .

[2]  A. Rubin,et al.  Audience Activity and Television News Gratifications , 1987 .

[3]  R. Gonzalez.  Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences , 2003 .

[4]  Adam N. Joinson,et al.  Looking at, looking up or keeping up with people?: motives and use of facebook , 2008, CHI.

[5]  Frank Bentley,et al.  Third-wave livestreaming: teens' long form selfie , 2017, MobileHCI.

[6]  M. R. Levy,et al.  AUDIENCE ACTIVITY AND GRATIFICATIONS , 1984 .

[7]  John L. Sherry,et al.  Sex Differences in Video Game Play: , 2004, Commun. Res..

[8]  A. Rubin.  Television uses and gratifications: The interactions of viewing patterns and motivations , 1983 .

[9]  R. Cooper,et al.  Predicting Audience Exposure to Television in Today's Media Environment: An Empirical Integration of Active-Audience and Structural Theories , 2009 .

[10]  ChaJiyoung.  Predictors of television and online video platform use , 2013 .

[11]  Wai-Tat Fu,et al.  "I Love the Feeling of Being on Stage, but I Become Greedy" , 2019, Proc. ACM Hum. Comput. Interact..

[12]  Victor C Strasburger,et al.  Children, Adolescents, and the Media , 2002, Clinical pediatrics.

[13]  Daniel J. Wigdor,et al.  You Watch, You Give, and You Engage: A Study of Live Streaming Practices in China , 2018, CHI.

[14]  Yu Wang,et al.  Why do audiences choose to keep watching on live video streaming platforms? An explanation of dual identification framework , 2017, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[15]  Anabel Quan-Haase,et al.  Uses and Gratifications of Social Media: A Comparison of Facebook and Instant Messaging , 2010 .

[16]  Alan M. Rubin,et al.  An Examination of Television Viewing Motivations , 1981 .

[17]  Daniel J. Wigdor,et al.  "I feel it is my responsibility to stream": Streaming and Engaging with Intangible Cultural Heritage through Livestreaming , 2019, CHI.

[18]  M. Pujazon-Zazik,et al.  To Tweet, or Not to Tweet: Gender Differences and Potential Positive and Negative Health Outcomes of Adolescents’ Social Internet Use , 2010, American journal of men's health.

[19]  P. Vorderer,et al.  Video Games and the Pleasures of Control , 2000 .

[20]  J. Stevens,et al.  Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences, 4th ed. , 2002 .

[21]  Anthony M. Limperos,et al.  Uses and Grats 2.0: New Gratifications for New Media , 2013 .

[22]  S. Coyne,et al.  "I Luv U :)!": A Descriptive Study of the Media Use of Individuals in Romantic Relationships , 2011 .

[23]  Linda Steiner.  Failed Theories: Explaining Gender Difference in Journalism , 2012 .

[24]  Andruid Kerne,et al.  Streaming on twitch: fostering participatory communities of play within live mixed media , 2014, CHI.

[25]  John C. Tang,et al.  Meerkat and Periscope: I Stream, You Stream, Apps Stream for Live Streams , 2016, CHI.

[26]  M. Oliver,et al.  The Uses and Gratifications of Media Migration: Investigating the Activities, Motivations, and Predictors of Migration Behaviors Originating in Entertainment Television , 2015 .

[27]  Myung-Hyun Kang,et al.  Interactivity in Television: Use and Impact of an Interactive Program Guide , 2002 .

[28]  Daniel J. Wigdor,et al.  Vicariously Experiencing it all Without Going Outside , 2019, Proc. ACM Hum. Comput. Interact..

[29]  Mathilde B. Friedlander.  Streamer Motives and User-Generated Content on Social Live-Streaming Services , 2017 .

[30]  Kaja J. Fietkiewicz,et al.  Information Behavior on Social Live Streaming Services , 2016 .

[31]  Alan M. Rubin,et al.  Talk Radio as Interpersonal Communication , 1989 .

[32]  E. Katz,et al.  On the use of the mass media for important things. , 1973 .

[33]  Valerie Barker,et al.  Older Adolescents' Motivations for Social Network Site Use: The Influence of Gender, Group Identity, and Collective Self-Esteem , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[34]  Alexander von Eye,et al.  Race, Gender, and Information Technology Use: The New Digital Divide , 2008, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[35]  Eric B. Weiser,et al.  Gender Differences in Internet Use Patterns and Internet Application Preferences: A Two-Sample Comparison , 2000, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[36]  A. Rubin.  Audience activity and media use , 1993 .

[37]  Katy E. Pearce,et al.  Influences on TV Viewing and Online User-shared Video Use: Demographics, Generations, Contextual Age, Media Use, Motivations, and Audience Activity , 2012 .

[38]  Hsi-Peng Lu,et al.  Why people use social networking sites: An empirical study integrating network externalities and motivation theory , 2011, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[39]  Tao Li,et al.  An analysis of the YouNow live streaming platform , 2015, 2015 IEEE 40th Local Computer Networks Conference Workshops (LCN Workshops).