In the digital era, a novel method of information presentation termed Overlapping Information Presentation (OIP) has emerged, where multiple streams of dynamic information overlap within confined visual spaces. This thesis investigates OIP by leveraging a specific context--live commenting on video platforms--which integrates real-time audience reactions directly into the video content. I examine three aspects of the OIP, namely the impacts of OIP on user perceptions, information processing, and its business value, providing implications for digital platform sustainability and growth. The first essay employs the uses and gratifications theory and needs-affordances framework to assess how live commenting meets viewers' social, cognitive, and affective needs, and its subsequent influence on platform stickiness. The findings suggest that while live commenting, as an overlaid and secondary content, primarily satisfies social needs, its combination with accelerated video playback enhances all types of user gratifications, which are crucial for increasing platform stickiness. The second essay explores how live commenting affects viewers' information processing performance, using theories from multi-stream information processing and central capacity. This essay introduces the concept of a "comfort zone" in attention management, revealing that live commenting can enhance or impair video content recall depending on the overall cognitive demands are within one's attentional comfort zone. The third essay examines the influence of brand-related live comments on brand recall and choice, highlighting the unique attributes of spatial and temporal proximity of comments to video content. This essay demonstrates that live commenting can significantly boost brand recall and choice, especially among users familiar with this feature, suggesting new avenues for monetization for video platforms. Collectively, the thesis provides a comprehensive understanding of how users may interact with OIP in online space, offering valuable insights into user engagement, digital content consumption and the potential for platform growth through innovative information presentation techniques.
| Date of Award | 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | - The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
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| Supervisor | Xiaojun ZHANG (Supervisor) & James Yeong Liang THONG (Supervisor) |
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Three essays on overlapping information presentation in online space
QIU, L. (Author). 2024
Student thesis: Doctoral thesis