Promote identification or prevent expansion? The effect of uploader-viewer similarity on viewer inspiration in the context of short video community

INTRODUCTION: Short video communities have proliferated recently, opening up a new channel for the promotion of online businesses. The main challenge in marketing with short videos is how to inspire consumers. METHODS: This study employs viewer social identification and self-expansion as its entrance point to to explain how uploader-viewer similarity affects viewers’ short video inspiration. We use empirical investigation method based on the data of 310 short video viewers to test our conceptual model. RESULTS: We found that there is a double-edged relationship between uploader-viewer similarity and short video inspiration. Particularly, uploader-viewer similarity enhances perceived social identification while reducing perceived self-expansion. The association between Uploader-viewer similarity and short video inspiration is moderated by viewers’ cognitive demands. DISCUSSION: These results provide a new perspective for enterprises to manage the relationship between viewers and media.