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1. Introduction
Social media platforms are widely used for sharing product and brand information as well as for engaging in conversations with others through online videos (Munaro et al., 2021). According to eMarketer, US consumers watched an average of 149 min of digital video per day in 2021, reflecting a notable increase from 133 min in 2020 (Benes, 2021). In June 2021, the number of Chinese online video platform users reached an impressive 944 m (CNNIN, 2021). The remarkable growth of online videos has led to the emergence of a new form of social interaction called “danmaku” (Wu et al., 2019). As illustrated in Figure 1, Danmaku is a real-time commentary system that overlays users' remarks directly onto the video, progressing from left to right in real-time. Danmaku represents a form of real-time, dynamic interactive communication (Zhang and Cassany, 2020), in contrast to generic impressions and post-hoc remarks (Zhang et al., 2023). It creates a “pseudo-synchronic” experience, enhancing viewer engagement and strengthening viewership (Fang et al., 2018). It is widely popular on numerous online video platforms. For instance, Chinese online video company Bilibili reported a staggering 2.2bn danmaku messages in 2020 alone. Danmaku represents a novel form of word of mouth (WOM), characterized by user-generated comments (Fang et al., 2018). Unlike traditional WOM, danmaku messages are synchronized with specific moments in the video, creating a sense of “live” interaction for viewers (Zhang and Cassany, 2020). The engagement in online video, influenced by these distinctive interaction dynamics of danmaku, may diverge significantly from that of traditional comments.
User engagement represents a fundamental human response to computer-mediated activities (Bitrián et al., 2021). The long-term development of business activities on online video platforms hinges on user engagement. User engagement in social media encompasses both consumption and active participation (e.g. real-time interactions) (Khan, 2017). User engagement on digital media and platforms goes beyond the transactional aspects of buying and using products. It includes elements such as deriving enjoyment, discussing the object and sharing the product experience (Eigenraam et al., 2018). User engagement on digital media and platforms has been extensively studied, focusing on various activities such as reading, liking/disliking, sharing and commenting. These activities are crucial for understanding user interactions on social...