REACTING TO...: Understanding The Motivations, Participatory Culture, and Spectatorship Behind Reaction Videos

Abstract

Reaction videos (RVs) are surging in popularity, emerging as a distinctive facet of participatory culture on current-day social video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitch. This study aims to explore not only the motivations and engagement patterns of viewers with RVs, but also the underlying nature of the virality and community-building phenomena that this sub-genre of content fosters. We conducted a thematic analysis of 16 semi-structured interviews with people who identified as regular consumers of reaction videos to build a better understanding on how viewers discover reaction videos (RQ1), the values that drive motivations in viewing reaction videos (RQ2), and the engagement practices viewers have with reaction videos, which consists of their interactions with the video, "reactors," and other viewers (RQ3). Our research not only highlighted the variety of original content that RVs utilize, ranging from movie trailers to music releases, but also the different engagement strategies viewers rely on in their consumption of RVs. Our findings emphasized the importance of emotional connection with reactors, the search for communal experiences around shared interests, and the role of RVs in content discovery and critique. Drawing from viewers' experiences with reaction videos, our research presents a behind-the-scenes perspective on the intricate landscape of being a spectator and its impact on society's production and consumption of content in today's digital age and contributes to the development of a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the broader reaction video culture.