Digital Immersion: Origins of Stimulation Within Streaming and E-Sports

Conference: Academy of Marketing 2018

Dates: 2-5 July 2018

Abstract:

Immersion is used outside of digital space as a term to measure the degree of involvement in a specific activity (Denisova, 2016). Brown and Cairns (2004, cited in Denisova, 2016) described immersion as a deeper state of engrossment, eventually leading to total immersion. This second definition gives the impression that immersion is more than a feeling, but a state of mind. Overall academic literature, in particular business and management literature, lacks understanding of digital immersion perhaps due to methodological challenges associated with research of this area. This project aims to examine what stimulates ‘digital immersion’ and how it causes behavioral changes in its users that keep them habitually absorbed. The context of ‘streaming’ and e-sports presents opportunities to understand the digital immersion in practice, enabling other digitally enabled businesses to borrow best practice techniques as well as create awareness of issues surrounding digital immersion. Hence, e-sport, in particular Twitch.tv social community is chosen as a contextual setting. Hypotheses assessing relationships between Twitch.tv social community culture and digital immersion; streamers source credibility and digital immersion; perceived entrainment value of streamers and digital immersion; content accessibility and digital immersion will be examined via survey.

Source: Manual