No abstract

The current study employs the theory of reasoned action to examine factors that correlate with the behavioral intentions of watching eSports. A structural equation modeling analysis is performed to examine the relationship between intentions to watch eSports, attitude toward watching eSports, subjective norms, behavioral beliefs, and normative beliefs. The results suggested that three behavioral beliefs-related factors (aesthetics, drama, and escapism) and subjective norms were positively related to attitude toward watching eSports. Normative beliefs positively influenced subjective norms. Finally, attitude toward watching eSports positively influenced behavioral intention.

Older adults are increasingly interacting with other people online via virtual avatars, yet little is known about how avatars affect older adults' behavior. This study examines how interacting avatars' age affects older adult's self-disclosure and trust in a relation-building context. Previous studies have found that users can take on behaviors consistent with characteristics of the avatars. In social interactions, people also assess their avatar in relation to other avatars for similarity or differences. We conducted a 2 (self-avatar: old vs. young) × 2 (other's avatar: old vs. young) experiment with older-adult participants aged 60+ (n = 95). The findings show that using younger avatars did not increase self-disclosure. However, the older-adult participants disclosed more information when their avatar's age matched their partner avatar's age (i.e., old to old, young to young). They also trust their partners more when the interacting avatars shared similar age. This study provides theoretical insights into the role of avatars in online relationship-building and extends our understanding of the avatar effects on older adults.

Smartphones are playing pivotal roles in sports fans’ media consumption journey. However, what motivates sports fans to use smartphones for sports; what are some of the behavioral factors that influence sports consumption on smartphones; how smartphone use for sports is related to other media usage; and how fandom interacts with motivational and behavioral factors still remains unclear to academic scholars. An online survey ( n = 646) was conducted to uncover the factors influencing sports consumption on smartphones. The results revealed that the motivator of acquiring information related to the sports, the behaviors of basking in reflected glory (BIRGing), as well as social sports participation, and the usage of websites, streaming videos, social media, radio, newspaper, and fantasy sports are factors that influence the consumption of sports on smartphones.

No abstract