#StayHome #WithMe: How Do YouTubers Help with COVID-19 Loneliness?
This research provides insights for content creators and platform designers on how to support viewers' mental wellbeing during disasters by understanding the types of social provisions offered through online video content.
This paper analyzed 1488 YouTube videos from the #StayHome #WithMe movement to understand how creators provided social provisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that skill/knowledge sharing, entertainment, homelife activities, live chatting, and gameplay were popular video styles, and family-like provisions resulted in the highest viewer engagement.
Loneliness threatens public mental wellbeing during COVID-19. In response, YouTube creators participated in the #StayHome #WithMe movement (SHWM) and made myriad videos for people experiencing loneliness or boredom at home. User-shared videos generate parasocial attachment and virtual connectedness. However, there is limited knowledge of how creators contributed videos during disasters to provide social provisions as disaster-relief. Grounded on Weiss's loneliness theory, this work analyzed 1488 SHWM videos to examine video sharing as a pathway to social provisions. Findings suggested that skill and knowledge sharing, entertaining arts, homelife activities, live chatting, and gameplay were the most popular video styles. YouTubers utilized parasocial relationships to form a space for staying away from the disaster. SHWM YouTubers provided friend-like, mentor-like, and family-like provisions through videos in different styles. Family-like provisions led to the highest overall viewer engagement. Based on the findings, design implications for supporting viewers' mental wellbeing in disasters are discussed.