Download This PaperWatch with Me: Danmaku Comments and Viewer Endorsements on Video-Sharing Platforms
46 Pages Posted: 6 Oct 2025 Last revised: 23 Sep 2025
Date Written: September 22, 2025
Abstract
Danmaku is a video comment function that displays user-generated comments as flying text synchronized with video playback. Despite its widespread use and popularity, research on its impact remains underexplored. This study theorizes and tests how two content features of Danmaku-information intensity and emotion density-affect video endorsements (likes and virtual rewards) on a large video-sharing platform. Leveraging panel data from 15,211 videos by 2,746 creators over seven days, we analyze the effects of Danmaku content features on endorsements, controlling for video and day fixed effects and daily views. We find that (1) both information intensity and emotion density positively influence likes and rewards; (2) they act as substitutes to influence rewards but not likes; (3) their effects vary by video type-information intensity has a stronger impact for information-oriented videos, whereas emotion density is more influential for entertainment-oriented videos. These findings enhance our understanding of how and why a highly dynamic and interactive viewing experience, such as Danmaku, influences video endorsements and provide practical implications for improving engagement on videosharing platforms.
Keywords: Danmaku, Endorsement, Video-sharing Platforms, User-generated Content
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Hillol Bala
Indiana University - Kelley School of Business - Department of Operation & Decision Technologies ( email )
Kelley School of Business
1309 E Tenth Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
United States
Xue Tan (Contact Author)
Southern Methodist University (SMU) - Information Technology and Operations Management Department (ITOM) ( email )
Dallas, TX 75275
United States