The recent phenomenon of online users posting live comments on streaming videos provides a unique context for examining how viewers allocate their attentional resources. Studies have argued that live commenting may have a positive effect on viewers’ engagement and learning outcomes. However, it is also possible that live commenting distracts viewers’ attention from the video content. Drawing on the theories of selective and divided attention, we developed a research model to examine the effects of live commenting on viewers’ task performance (i.e., recall of the video content and the live comments) and subjective experience (i.e., focused attention, sense of companionship, and evaluation of the streaming website), and whether these effects are moderated by the videos’ cognitive...[ Read more ]

The recent phenomenon of online users posting live comments on streaming videos provides a unique context for examining how viewers allocate their attentional resources. Studies have argued that live commenting may have a positive effect on viewers’ engagement and learning outcomes. However, it is also possible that live commenting distracts viewers’ attention from the video content. Drawing on the theories of selective and divided attention, we developed a research model to examine the effects of live commenting on viewers’ task performance (i.e., recall of the video content and the live comments) and subjective experience (i.e., focused attention, sense of companionship, and evaluation of the streaming website), and whether these effects are moderated by the videos’ cognitive load (“video load”). We conducted a lab experiment to test this model. The results showed that, first, the inclusion of live commenting reduced viewers’ recall of the video content in the case of high-load videos. Surprisingly, in the case of low-load videos, the inclusion of live commenting increased recall of the video content. Second, recall of live comments was found to be negatively related to the video load. A high (or low) video load resulted in lower (or higher) recall of live comments. Third, live commenting negatively affected viewers’ focused attention, regardless of the video load, but viewers enjoyed a higher sense of companionship. Fourth, higher levels of focused attention and sense of companionship led to viewers’ greater perceived enjoyment of the video streaming platforms. We conclude that live commenting is a double-edged sword that needs to be managed carefully. This study contributes to the literature on attention theories and live commenting, and provides managerial implications for video streaming websites.