Unraveling hybrid exchange: virtual tipping on live-streaming platforms
ISSN: 1066-2243
Article publication date: 20 June 2022
Issue publication date: 14 April 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to explore the nature of virtual tipping in live game streaming from the perspective of tippers.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative research involved six naturalistic group interviews with 27 young adult game streaming tippers in China.
Findings
The research revealed a typology of four virtual tipping exchanges – perfunctory exchange, transactional (commodity) exchange, relational (gift) exchange and hybrid exchange. The most notable finding is hybrid exchange, a synergistic hybrid of transaction and gift-giving.
Practical implications
The authors recommend that both streamers and streaming platforms acknowledge and accommodate both transactional and relational tipping motivations. The authors also recommend platforms to recruit skillful streamers with high emotional intelligence to better convert perfunctory tippers into tippers who tip more generously.
Originality/value
The result of hybrid exchange suggests going beyond the traditional commodity vs gift dichotomy to examine the potential market-gift complementary in a single exchange in the sharing economy.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions. This research is developed upon the authors' earlier conference paper – Sun, J. P., Fernandez, K. V., and Frethey-Bentham, C. (2019), “Virtual tipping motivation on live game streaming”, in Richard J. E. and Kadirov D. (Ed.s), 2019 ANZMAC Conference Proceedings, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, p.563. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
Citation
Sun, J.P., Fernandez, K.V. and Frethey-Bentham, C. (2023), "Unraveling hybrid exchange: virtual tipping on live-streaming platforms", Internet Research, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 774-795. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-10-2020-0597
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited