Building Consumer Engagement in Live Streaming on Social Media: A Comparison of Facebook and Instagram Live

Abstract

The rising popularity of live video streaming (LVS) on social media platforms has opened up opportunities for numerous businesses. One of the primary benefits of LVS is the ability to generate interactions between streamers and viewers, as well as between viewers and viewers in real-time, which can significantly increase consumer engagement. This study aims to explore how customer engagement is established through interactivity on LVS activities, with a focus on Facebook and Instagram Live. The study used a mixed-methods approach, consisting of in-depth interviews with experienced LVS viewers followed by an online survey. The qualitative findings revealed that two essential platform-related factors that drive interactions and engagement are aesthetic relevance and recommendation relevance, with the recommendation being more relevant for Facebook and aesthetic relevance being more typical for Instagram. The quantitative results support these findings and offer additional insights into the distinct mechanisms for generating engagement, while aesthetic relevance directly leads to interaction and engagement, recommendation relevance only generates engagement indirectly via interaction. Theoretically, this article contributes to the live streaming literature by exploring the platform-related influencers of interactivity and customer engagement and the mechanisms of how customer engagement is built via interactivity on different social media platforms.