The expression of boredom and unwanted loneliness on Twitch

Abstract

The consumption of streaming content on social networks has increased among young audiences, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began, promoting the emergence of new parasocial relationships. The literature points to boredom and unwanted loneliness as the main drivers of this behavior. No study has investigated the expression of boredom and unwanted loneliness on Twitch to determine if they encourage the consumption of streaming content. This study analyzes the expressions of boredom and unwanted loneliness of users consuming streaming content on Twitch to ascertain to which extent they are the main motivations depending on the context and conclude implications for practice. A mixed methodology was used, guided by virtual ethnography, to respond to the double qualitative-quantitative approach of the research. It has been applied to six communities of Spanish-speaking streamers on Twitch, with different audience levels, taking 3 streamings per streamer as case studies, broadcast from December 2021 to January 2022. The results were obtained using ethnographic observation and content analysis techniques. They suggest that boredom and unwanted loneliness are states that motivate the consumption of streaming content on Twitch. Their presence is more visible in small communities, and their nature differs depending on each community. Streamers should pay attention to their audience to relieve their boredom and unwanted loneliness, and to help detect possible maladaptive behaviors motivated by these states.