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Twitch Users' Motivations and Practices During Community Mental Health Discussions

Authors:

Jirassaya Uttarapong,

Chien Wen (Tina) Yuan,

Donghee Yvette WohnAuthors Info & Claims

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 6, Issue GROUP

Article No.: 5, Pages 1 - 23

https://doi.org/10.1145/3492824

Published: 14 January 2022 Publication History

Abstract

Live streaming is a form of media that allows streamers to directly interact with their audience. Previous research has explored mental health, Twitch.tv and live streaming platforms, and users' social motivations behind watching live streams separately. However, few have explored how these all intertwine in conversations involving intimate, self-disclosing topics, such as mental health. Live streams are unique in that they are largely masspersonal in nature; streamers broadcast themselves to mostly unknown viewers, but may choose to interact with them in a personal way. This study aims to understand users' motivations, preferences, and habits behind participating in mental health discussions on live streams. We interviewed 25 Twitch viewers about the streamers they watch, how they interact in mental health discussions, and how they believe streamers should discuss mental health on live streams. Our findings are contextualized in the dynamics in which these discussions occur. Overall, we found that the innate design of the Twitch platform promotes a user-hierarchy in the ecosystem of streamers and their communities, which may affect how mental health is discussed.

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Cited By

Lacko DDufková EMachackova H(2023)Does aggressive commentary by streamers during violent video game affect state aggression in adolescents?New Media & Society10.1177/14614448231182620Online publication date: 7-Jul-2023
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231182620
Lee YYuan CBi N(2023)Investigating social presence in “In Real Life” streaming for community buildingNew Media & Society10.1177/14614448231176769Online publication date: 12-Jun-2023
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231176769
Zhu LZhang Y(2023)Fuzzy Judgment-based Mental Health Assessment System for College Students2023 IEEE International Conference on Integrated Circuits and Communication Systems (ICICACS)10.1109/ICICACS57338.2023.10099884(01-05)Online publication date: 24-Feb-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICICACS57338.2023.10099884
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Twitch Users' Motivations and Practices During Community Mental Health Discussions
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)

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cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction Volume 6, Issue GROUP

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January 2022

992 pages

EISSN:2573-0142

DOI:10.1145/3511803

Editor:
Jeff Nichols
Apple Inc., United States

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Copyright © 2022 ACM.

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Publication History

Published: 14 January 2022

Published in PACMHCI Volume 6, Issue GROUP

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Cited By

Lacko DDufková EMachackova H(2023)Does aggressive commentary by streamers during violent video game affect state aggression in adolescents?New Media & Society10.1177/14614448231182620Online publication date: 7-Jul-2023
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231182620
Lee YYuan CBi N(2023)Investigating social presence in “In Real Life” streaming for community buildingNew Media & Society10.1177/14614448231176769Online publication date: 12-Jun-2023
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231176769
Zhu LZhang Y(2023)Fuzzy Judgment-based Mental Health Assessment System for College Students2023 IEEE International Conference on Integrated Circuits and Communication Systems (ICICACS)10.1109/ICICACS57338.2023.10099884(01-05)Online publication date: 24-Feb-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICICACS57338.2023.10099884
Shin DPark SKim EKim SSeo JHong H(2022)Exploring the Effects of AI-assisted Emotional Support Processes in Online Mental Health CommunityExtended Abstracts of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3491101.3519854(1-7)Online publication date: 27-Apr-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3491101.3519854

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