HARRISBURG, PA — New research supported by the Harrisburg University of Science & Technology (HU) Presidential Grant has been published in the International Journal of Consumer Studies, one of the world’s leading journals in consumer behavior research.
The study, titled “Customer Motivation and Engagement in Entertainment vs. Education Types of Live-Streaming,” was co-authored by Sa Liu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Interactive Media Studies, and Dr. Wei-Kang Kao, formerly a professor at Harrisburg University and now on faculty at the University of Southern Maine.
The International Journal of Consumer Studies is recognized for its selectivity – with an acceptance rate of approximately 5% – and holds the highest impact factor and Scopus CiteScore in its field.
This research addresses a growing question in digital marketing: Why do viewers engage differently with entertainment-focused live streams compared to educational ones? Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), the study investigates how three types of customer motivation shape engagement across different live-streaming environments.
Self-determination theory (SDT) is a widely used psychological framework that explains what motivates people and why. SDT recognizes that people are most motivated and engaged when three basic psychological needs are met: autonomy (feeling in control of one’s own choices), competence (feeling capable and effective), and relatedness (feeling connected to others).
“We studied how different types of customer motivations – external regulation, intrinsic motivation, and amotivation – shape engagement levels in live-streaming environments, comparing entertainment-focused and education-focused streams,” said Dr. Liu. “We further examined the moderating role of peer interaction quality among viewers. Based on evidence from four studies – two field studies and two experiments – our findings show that motivation factors grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) influence customer engagement differently across entertainment versus educational live-streaming contexts. Moreover, the moderating effect of customer-to-customer interaction on motivation factors and engagement is conditional and different between the two streaming types.”
The research uncovered key insights across these four studies:
- External regulation (such as rewards or incentives) is the strongest driver of engagement in entertainment-oriented live streams.
- Intrinsic motivation (such as curiosity or personal interest) plays a more central role in driving engagement in educational live streams.
- Amotivation consistently reduces engagement in both contexts.
- The influence of peer-to-peer interaction among viewers varies depending on whether the stream is entertainment- or education-focused.
“These findings deepen our understanding of what drives customer engagement in rapidly evolving digital spaces,” added Dr. Liu. “By revealing how motivation operates differently across live-streaming formats, this study offers valuable guidance for marketers, educators, and content creators aiming to build stronger online communities.”
The research also highlights practical implications for organizations that leverage live-streaming for recruitment, instruction, marketing, or community-building. Aligning content strategy with audience motivations and fostering meaningful, context-specific interaction can significantly enhance viewer engagement.
The full article is available through the International Journal of Consumer Studies.
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