Social responses to and motivation involving knitting vlog viewing

Abstract

This project explores social psychological factors and motivation involving vlogs, filling gaps in the understanding of viewing needs and outcomes of this new cultural practice. An exploratory online survey asked over 400 knitting vlog viewers about expected outcomes of viewing, loneliness, identification, perceived homophily, parasocial relationship strength, motivation to knit, and motivation to view knitting vlogs, addressing hypotheses involving common expected outcomes and viewing motivation, how well loneliness predicts parasocial relationship strength, and how these feelings predict motivations to view vlogs and to knit. The results showed that feelings of activity and social connection most strongly predicted motivation to view and to knit. Loneliness did not play a role in parasocial relationship strength. These findings suggest that the social qualities of knitting vlogs may play an important role in motivating viewers to watch and to knit.