Publicação
Long-Form (Vs. Short-Form) Influencer Video Content: How Emotions Shape Online Audience Opinion: Platform-Centric Experiment Using Opinion Mining Strategies to Measure Digital Trace Data
| Resumo: | This study examines how emotional cues in influencers’ YouTube videos influence audience opinions, focusing on long-form versus short-form formats. We apply Emotional Contagion theory and opinion dynamics models, proposing that influencers’ emotional valence and arousal, alongside audience emotions, drive opinion convergence—measured by the distance between influencer and audience sentiment. Engagement metrics (likes, comments, views) mediate this relationship, while parasocial relationships moderate it. Using data from 149 Brazilian Opinion Leaders (61,525 videos; 25 million comments), we employed a BERTimbau model for valence detection and a CNN-based lexicon for arousal. We assessed parasocial interaction via counts of “you” pronouns and verbal-immediacy indices from the LIWC dictionary. Principal component analysis identified a latent engagement factor, and multipleregression models evaluated direct, mediating, and moderating effects. Findings show that influencer valence and arousal reduced opinion distance in both formats, with stronger effects in short-form videos, indicating quicker emotional alignment. Audience valence promoted convergence in long-form videos, while audience arousal was effective in short-form content. Engagement partially mediated audience emotions but not influenced emotions. Parasocial Relationships amplified emotional effects in long-form videos only with “you” pronouns measurement, while verbal immediacy had minimal impact. The study highlights a dual mechanism: short-form videos utilize high-arousal cues for quick emotional mirroring, while long-form videos foster parasocial bonds that gradually enhance alignment. These insights are valuable for marketers and influencers in strategizing content length to align audience opinions. |
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| Autores principais: | Bruno, Claudio Luiz |
| Assunto: | Long-form vs short-form video Opinion Leaders Emotional contagion Opinion Dynamics Parasocial Relationships Audience engagement Opinion Minning Digital Trace Data SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth SDG 12 - Responsible production and consumption |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | This study examines how emotional cues in influencers’ YouTube videos influence audience opinions, focusing on long-form versus short-form formats. We apply Emotional Contagion theory and opinion dynamics models, proposing that influencers’ emotional valence and arousal, alongside audience emotions, drive opinion convergence—measured by the distance between influencer and audience sentiment. Engagement metrics (likes, comments, views) mediate this relationship, while parasocial relationships moderate it. Using data from 149 Brazilian Opinion Leaders (61,525 videos; 25 million comments), we employed a BERTimbau model for valence detection and a CNN-based lexicon for arousal. We assessed parasocial interaction via counts of “you” pronouns and verbal-immediacy indices from the LIWC dictionary. Principal component analysis identified a latent engagement factor, and multipleregression models evaluated direct, mediating, and moderating effects. Findings show that influencer valence and arousal reduced opinion distance in both formats, with stronger effects in short-form videos, indicating quicker emotional alignment. Audience valence promoted convergence in long-form videos, while audience arousal was effective in short-form content. Engagement partially mediated audience emotions but not influenced emotions. Parasocial Relationships amplified emotional effects in long-form videos only with “you” pronouns measurement, while verbal immediacy had minimal impact. The study highlights a dual mechanism: short-form videos utilize high-arousal cues for quick emotional mirroring, while long-form videos foster parasocial bonds that gradually enhance alignment. These insights are valuable for marketers and influencers in strategizing content length to align audience opinions. |
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