Streaming together: Unraveling social experiences in social live streaming services

The global rise of social live streaming services (SLSS) highlights the importance of social interactions in digital spaces. This study explores previously underexamined dimensions of social experiences within SLSS, specifically investigating how social presence influences parasocial relationships (viewer–streamer connections) and viewers' sense of belonging within viewer communities. Additionally, the study examines the effects of these social experiences on viewers' behavior, notably virtual gifting and session visit durations. It also investigates the moderating roles of viewer loneliness and streamer physical attractiveness. Data from 434 respondents, analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), demonstrate that social presence contributes significantly to the development of parasocial relationships and a sense of belonging. Furthermore, viewer loneliness moderates these relationships, diminishing the effects of social presence. Parasocial relationships and a sense of belonging affect viewers' visit duration positively, while parasocial relationships additionally encourage virtual gifting. Notably, streamer physical attractiveness amplifies the impact of parasocial relationships on viewers' visit duration. A supplementary lab experiment complements these findings by capturing actual viewer behavior. This research enriches social presence theory and the theory of parasocial relationship by highlighting their relevance in SLSS contexts, and highlights the significance of personal predispositions in shaping social interactions online. Practical implications are offered for SLSS practitioners to strategically enhance user engagement and platform success.