Celebrating the 45th Anniversary of the University of Macau:
Immersion in Online Interaction Rituals: The Paradoxical Role of Time-Synchronized Comments on Video Platforms
Prof. Kai LIM
Chair Professor of Information Technology Innovation and Management; Yeung Kin Man Professor in Information Technology Innovation and Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Date: 18 March 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 10:30 -12:00
Venue: E22-G015
Host: Prof. Zhiya ZUO, Associate Professor in Business Intelligence and Analytics
Abstract
Many digital video platforms encourage time-synchronized comments (TSCs), comments overlaid in sync with video timestamps, to enable users’ social interactions and enhance engagement. Although TSCs can enrich viewing experiences, they also might distract users, causing their disengagement. The continuous comment streams give viewers little control over pacing or selection, and structural features that set the rhythm of the interactions might lead to contrasting effects. Grounded in interaction ritual theory, this research identifies two structural features, volume density and word density, and examines their contrasting effects, along with TSC content and video genre as potential moderators. A field study, leveraging panel data from a leading TSC-enabled platform, and a psychophysiological experiment that captures viewers’ real-time attentional, emotional, and behavioral responses, confirm that higher volume density promotes perceived assembly, mutual focus, and emotional entrainment that enhance engagement. Greater word density, however, disrupts both mutual focus and entrainment, leading to reduced engagement. Emotional entrainment emerges as the decisive mechanism, while emotional polarization and video genre condition these effects. We also test a reduced visual overlay design that mitigates the negative impact of TSCs. By clarifying how, when, and why TSCs can enhance or disrupt engagement, this study extends understanding of micro-level social interactions in mediated contexts and offers ideas for improving TSC-enabled video experiences.
Speaker
Kai H. Lim is Yeung Kin Man Chair Professor of Information Technology Innovation and Management, Faculty of Business, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). He served as a Senior Editor of MIS Quarterly (2011-2016) and was on the editorial boards of ISR (2007-2011), MIS Quarterly (2002-2005), and JAIS (2002-2011). His research has appeared in top journals such as MIS Quarterly, ISR, JMIS, and JAIS. Prior to joining PolyU, he was on the faculty of City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Hawaii. His research interests include digitalization, e-Health, digital transformation, trust in e-commerce, social media, and human-AI interactions. He has won numerous teaching and research awards, including two most prestigious awards presented by CityU, the 2002/03 CityU’s University-Wide Teaching Excellence Award and the 2020/21 CityU’s University-Wide Outstanding Research Award. Kai is also an Honorary Professor of Fudan University, China and a Fellow of the Association for Information Systems (AIS Fellow).
All are welcome!
