From Motivation to Participation: Understanding User Dynamics in Bilibili's Subculture
Abstract
With the ACGN (Animation, Comics, Games, Novels) subculture gaining popularity in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly through platforms like Bilibili, users are actively engaging in community participation and content contribution. This study investigates the motivations driving these behaviours, focusing on the relationship between user attitudes and engagement intentions. Utilising a quantitative survey method, data was collected from 204 university students in Guangzhou, China, who are familiar with the ACGN subculture and use Bilibili. The analysis was conducted using SmartPLS, revealing that social interaction, altruism and reputation positively influence users' attitudes toward the platform. Conversely, expected reciprocal benefits did not significantly affect attitudes; and self-expression was found to have a negative correlation. These findings suggest that users who value social connections and altruistic contributions are more likely to engage with the platform, while those seeking self-expression may develop negative perceptions. The research extends the uses and gratifications theory by highlighting the importance of user attitudes in shaping engagement behaviours. Practically, the results can inform Bilibili's strategies to enhance user satisfaction and participation by addressing the needs of core users, ultimately stabilising the platform's community culture and economic viability. Future research should explore broader ACGN user groups and employ qualitative methods to uncover deeper motivational dynamics.
Keywords: ACGN subculture, motivation; community participation, content contribution, attitudes towards the web.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Al Kurdi, B., Alshurideh, M., Akour, I., Tariq, E., AlHamad, A., & Alzoubi, H. (2022). The effect of social media influencers’ characteristics on consumer intention and attitude toward Keto products purchase intention. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(4), 1135–1146. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2022.7.006
Al-Khouja, M., Weinstein, N., Ryan, W., & Legate, N. (2022). Self-expression can be authentic or inauthentic, with differential outcomes for well-being: Development of the authentic and inauthentic expression scale (AIES). Journal of Research in Personality, 97, 104191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104191
Alshehri, A. (2024). Social media in tourism: A twitter (X) social graph approach to #Alula. Journal of Tourism and Services, 15(28), 253–267. https://doi.org/ptnw
Alzub, A. M. (2023). Navigating the disruption of digital and conventional media in changing media consumption landscape in digital era. Journal of Engineering, Technology, and Applied Science (JETAS), 5(1), 38–48. https://doi.org/ptnx
Anisimova, T., & Weiss, J. (2023). Toward a better understanding of the attitude–behavior gap in organic food conative loyalty: A moderation and moderated mediation analysis. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 35(6), 1474–1493. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-06-2021-0420
Arfan, A., Rizal, A. R. A., & Kawuryan, M. W. (2023). Komunikasi nilai-kepercayaan di media sosial: Analisis terhadap kesan pempengaruh di platform TikTok. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 39(4), 428–444. https://doi.org/nhdb
Bae, M. (2023). Coping strategies initiated by COVID-19-related stress, individuals’ motives for social media use, and perceived stress reduction. Internet Research, 33(1), 124–151. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-05-2021-0269
Bai, X., Xu, R., & Zhong, Y. (2024). Factors influencing the learning behavior of college student users of Bilibli from the prospective of theory of planned behavior. In P. M. Eloundou-Enyegue (Ed.), Addressing global challenges - Exploring socio-cultural dynamics and sustainable solutions in a changing world (pp. 378–385). Routledge.
Bilro, R. G., Loureiro, S. M. C., & dos Santos, J. F. (2022). Masstige strategies on social media: The influence on sentiments and attitude toward the brand. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 46(4), 1113–1126. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12747
Carlson, J. R., Hanson, S., Pancras, J., Ross Jr, W. T., & Rousseau‐Anderson, J. (2022). Social media advertising: How online motivations and congruency influence perceptions of trust. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 21(2), 197–213. https://doi.org/gnt6ts
Chang, C.-W., & Chang, S.-H. (2023). The impact of digital disruption: Influences of digital media and social networks on forming digital natives’ attitude. Sage Open, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231191741
Chee, I. (2022, July 6). Shanghai-based video site Bilibili launches In Malaysia. Lowyat.Net. https://www.lowyat.net/2022/278346/bilibili-launches-in-malaysia/
Chen, J., & Liao, J. (2023). The impact of oppositional loyalty on brand identification in online brand communities: The moderating role of self-expression. Current Psychology, 42, 26651–26662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03707-6
Chen, Q., Clifford, S. J., & Wells, W. D. (2002). Attitude toward the Site II: New information. Journal of Advertising Research, 42(2), 33–45.
Chen, Z., & Yang, D. L. (2023). Governing generation Z in China: Bilibili, bidirectional mediation, and online community governance. The Information Society, 39(1), 1–16.
Chiang, H.-S., & Hsiao, K.-L. (2015). YouTube stickiness: The needs, personal, and environmental perspective. Internet Research, 25(1), 85–106. https://doi.org/ghpcz3
Cong, J. (2022). Analysis on Bilibili marketing strategy. In Y. Jiang, Y. Shvets, & H. Mallick (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2022 2nd International Conference on Economic Development and Business Culture (ICEDBC 2022) (pp. 1116–1121). Atlantis Press International BV. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-036-7_164
David. (2025). Cosplay events in Malaysia 2025. David.my. https://david.my/cosplay-events-in-malaysia-2025/
Ding, X., Kou, Y., Xu, Y., & Zhang, P. (2022). “As uploaders, we have the responsibility”: Individualized professionalization of bilibili uploaders. CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 509, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3517509
Fang, C., & Zhang, J. (2019). Users’ continued participation behavior in social Q&A communities: A motivation perspective. Computers in Human Behavior, 92, 87–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.10.036
Ferreira, L., Oliveira, T., & Neves, C. (2023). Consumer’s intention to use and recommend smart home technologies: The role of environmental awareness. Energy, 263, 125814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2022.125814
Giertz, J. N., Weiger, W. H., Törhönen, M., & Hamari, J. (2022). Content versus community focus in live streaming services: How to drive engagement in synchronous social media. Journal of Service Management, 33(1), 33–58. https://doi.org/gpk8gd
Guo, C. (2024). COMICUP GZ coming! Chinese ACGN industry and its IPs booming. GD Today. https://www.newsgd.com/node_d36b0ef83f/19cf911fe9.shtml
Han, J., & Balabanis, G. (2024). Meta‐analysis of social media influencer impact: Key antecedents and theoretical foundations. Psychology & Marketing, 41(2), 394–426. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21927
Herrando, C., & Martín‐De Hoyos, M. J. (2022). Influencer endorsement posts and their effects on advertising attitudes and purchase intentions. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 46(6), 2288–2299. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12785
Hidayatullah, A., & Csíkos, C. (2024). The role of students’ beliefs, parents’ educational level, and the mediating role of attitude and motivation in students’ mathematics achievement. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 33(2), 253–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00724-2
Ho, K. K. W., & See-To, E. W. K. (2018). The impact of the uses and gratifications of tourist attraction fan page. Internet Research, 28(3), 587–603. https://doi.org/gpjnnz
Hoyer, B., & Van Straaten, D. (2022). Anonymity and self-expression in online rating systems—An experimental analysis. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 98, 101869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2022.101869
Hsu, C. H. C., Cai, L. A., & Mimi Li. (2010). Expectation, motivation, and attitude: A tourist behavioral model. Journal of Travel Research, 49(3), 282–296. https://doi.org/dmzvss
Hsu, C.-L., & Lin, J. C.-C. (2008). Acceptance of blog usage: The roles of technology acceptance, social influence and knowledge sharing motivation. Information & Management, 45(1), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2007.11.001
Hu, M., Zhang, M., & Luo, N. (2016). Understanding participation on video sharing communities: The role of self-construal and community interactivity. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.077
Huang, L. (2024). Guangzhou’s ‘secondary yuan’ is breaking the circle [WeChat post]. http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA4Nzg0MjQwMQ==&mid=2650297988&idx=3&sn=a8974b8e2a7ae36b59b0b13c3a3d52de
Huang, Y. (2023, March 31). Bilibili loses $7.5 bn in 2022, first big cut in 5 years, where does it go in 2023? Baijiahao. https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1761897072500263685
Incubase Studio. (2025, January 21). Incubase Arena launches new locations in Hong Kong and Malaysia to foster anime culture. PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/incubase-arena-launches-new-locations-in-hong-kong-and-malaysia-to-foster-anime-culture-302355670.html
Jiang, J., Shi, S., & Luan, Z. (2022). Making online english learning more engaging for chinese college students: A comparative analysis of MOOCs and bilibili. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Education Technology and Computers, 367–371. https://doi.org/10.1145/3572549.3572608
Jo, H., Park, S., Jeong, J., Yeon, J., & Lee, J. K. (2025). Metaverse gaming: Analyzing the impact of self-expression, achievement, social interaction, violence, and difficulty. Behaviour & Information Technology, 44(4), 749–763. https://doi.org/ptn6
Jovanka, S., & Maulana, A. (2023). Analisis kepuasan pengguna terhadap layanan streaming video dengan metode E-service quality: Studi kasus pada aplikasi disney plus. SATESI: Jurnal Sains Teknologi dan Sistem Informasi, 3(1), 45–51. https://doi.org/ptn7
Kasmani, M. F., Abdul Aziz, A. R., & Sawai, R. P. (2022). Self-disclosure on social media and its influence on the well-being of youth. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 38(3), 272–290. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2022-3803-17
Kaur, B., Paul, J., & Sharma, R. R. (2023). The virality of advertising content. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 17(3), 374–397. https://doi.org/ptn8
Kaye, B. K. (1998). Uses and gratifications of the World Wide Web: From couch potato to web potato. New Jersey Journal of Communication, 6(1), 21–40. https://doi.org/bmtd43
Khan, M. L. (2017). Social media engagement: What motivates user participation and consumption on YouTube? Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 236–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.024
Kurt, I. (2024). Exploring the journey of sociovirtualization: Understanding the process of socialization in a virtual context. London Journal of Interdisciplinary Sciences, 2, 38–51. https://doi.org/10.31039/ljis.2024.2.225
Lee, A., & Fiore, A. M. (2024). Factors affecting social media usage by market mavens for fashion-related information provision. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 28(2), 254–272. https://doi.org/ptpb
Li, B., Kou, X., & Bonk, C. J. (2023). Embracing the disrupted language teaching and learning field: Analyzing YouTube content creation related to ChatGPT. Languages, 8(3), 197. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030197
Liu, H., Lee, K. T., & Bai, S. (2023). Exploring motivations for TikTok usage and impact factors of TikTokers’ continuance intention. Ingénierie Des Systèmes d Information, 28(2), 389–400. https://doi.org/10.18280/isi.280214
Liu, T., Chen, X., & Lin, Z. (2024). Mainstreams, mavericks, misfits, and amphibians: On the mainstreaming, platformisation, and re-conventionalisation of the former home of Chinese ACGN. China Perspectives, 136, 75–86. https://doi.org/ptpc
Liu, X., Min, Q., & Han, S. (2020). Understanding users’ continuous content contribution behaviours on microblogs: An integrated perspective of uses and gratification theory and social influence theory. Behaviour & Information Technology, 39(5), 525–543. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2019.1603326
Liuyan, S., Wei, C. O., Fan, L., Gill, S. S., Linghan, Z., & Departmet, S. (2024). Virtual music idol, the chinese leitkultur and the making of the world’s first virtual ‘Red Diva’. Asian Social Science, 20(2). http://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v20n2p24
Loh, C. E., Binte Rosli, N. F. S., & Krishnan, M. Z. (2024). Not just reading the romance online: Adolescent girls’ reading Korean manhwa. Changing English, 31(2), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684X.2024.2305431
Luo, X. (2002). Uses and gratifications theory and e-consumer behaviors: A structural equation modeling study. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2(2), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2002.10722060
Ma, W. W. K., & Chan, A. (2014). Knowledge sharing and social media: Altruism, perceived online attachment motivation, and perceived online relationship commitment. Computers in Human Behavior, 39, 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.06.015
Mladenova, I. (2022). Relation between organizational capacity for change and readiness for change. Administrative Sciences, 12(4), 135. https://doi.org/ptpd
Moon, J.-W., & An, Y. (2022). Uses and gratifications motivations and their effects on attitude and e-tourist satisfaction: A multilevel approach. Tourism and Hospitality, 3(1), 116–136.
Omar, B., & Dequan, W. (2020). Watch, share or create: The influence of personality traits and user motivation on TikTok mobile video usage. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), 14(4), 121. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i04.12429
Ørmen, J., & Gregersen, A. (2023). Towards the engagement economy: Interconnected processes of commodification on YouTube. Media Culture & Society, 45(2), 225–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221111951
Osawa, H., Miyamoto, D., Hase, S., Saijo, R., Fukuchi, K., & Miyake, Y. (2022). Visions of artificial intelligence and robots in science fiction: A computational analysis. International Journal of Social Robotics, 14(10), 2123–2133. https://doi.org/ptpf
Pan, X. (2023). Motivations for game stream spectatorship: A content analysis of Danmaku on Bilibili. Global Media and China, 8(2), 190–212. https://doi.org/gs8bbh
Parameswaran, D. (2021, November 9). An introduction to the anime, comics & games (ACG) community in Malaysia. Signature Market. https://www.signaturemarket.co/my/food/772/An-Introduction-to-the-Anime-Comics-Games-ACG-Community-in-Malaysia.html
Raje, K. (2025). Asia Pacific ACGN market report 2025. Cognitive Market Research. https://www.cognitivemarketresearch.com/regional-analysis/asia-pacific-acgn-market-report
Rode, H. (2016). To share or not to share: The effects of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations on knowledge-sharing in enterprise social media platforms. Journal of Information Technology, 31, 152–165.
Sari, R. L., Habibi, A. B., & Hayuningputri, E. P. (2022). Impact of attitude, perceived ease of use, convenience, and social benefit on intention to use mobile payment. APMBA: Asia Pacific Management and Business Application, 11(2), 143–156.
Sharipudin, M.-N. S., Abdullah, N. A., Foo, K. W., Hassim, N., Tóth, Z., & Chan, T. J. (2023). The influence of social media influencer (SMI) and social influence on purchase intention among young consumers. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, 2023(Spl2), 1–13.
Sharma, K., Aswal, C., & Paul, J. (2023). Factors affecting green purchase behavior: A systematic literature review. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(4), 2078–2092. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3237
Sharma, T. G., Hamari, J., Kesharwani, A., & Tak, P. (2022). Understanding continuance intention to play online games: Roles of self-expressiveness, self-congruity, self-efficacy, and perceived risk. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41(2), 348–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2020.1811770
Shi, X., Chang, Y., & Gao, J. (2022). Investment in transnational identity to become microcelebrities in China: On american uploaders’ success in a Chinese video-sharing website. Language and Intercultural Communication, 22(6), 642–661. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2022.2078343
Shoufan, A., & Mohamed, F. (2022). YouTube and education: A scoping review. IEEE Access, 10, 125576–125599. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3225419
Singh, S., Chaubey, D. S., Raj, R., Kumar, V., Paliwal, M., & Mahlawat, S. (2024). Social media communication, consumer attitude and purchase intention in lifestyle category products: A PLS-SEM modeling. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 43(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-11-2023-0626
Song, H. G., Kim, Y.-S., & Hwang, E. (2023). How attitude and para-social interaction influence purchase intentions of Mukbang users: A mixed-method study. Behavioral Sciences, 13(3), 214. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13030214
Stuart, J., Scott, R., O’Donnell, K., & Jose, P. E. (2022). The impact of ease of online self-expression during adolescence on identity in young adulthood. In V. Wang, G. R. Hayes, & L. D. Rosen (Eds.), Social media and technology across the lifespan (pp. 43–59). Springer.
Sun, L., Zhang, J., & Shou, J. (2023). Value Co-creation of community E-commerce platform: How does bilibili balance between content and commercialization? In J. Zhang, K. Ying, K. Wang, Z. Fan & Z. Zhao (Eds.), Innovation of digital economy: Cases from China (pp. 117–128). Springer.
Taher, S. S., Chan, T. J., Zolkepli, I. A., & Sharipudin, M. N. S. (2022). Mediating role of parasocial relationships on social media influencers’ reputation signals and purchase intention of beauty products. Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations, 24(3), 45–66. https://doi.org/10.21018/rjcpr.2022.3.348
Tambunan, D. M., Tambun, Y. M., & Harahap, S. Y. (2024). Motivation and attitude of English language learning among nursing students. Malahayati International Journal of Nursing and Health Science, 6(7), 545–553. https://doi.org/ptpg
Wang, G., & Zhang, Y. (2021). From ‘study with me’ to study with you: How activities of study with me livestream on Bilibili facilitate SRL community (No. arXiv:2108.00637). arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2108.00637
Wang, W., & Guo, Q. (2023). Subscription strategy choices of network video platforms in the presence of social influence. Electronic Commerce Research, 23(1), 577–604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-021-09504-w
Wang, Y. (2023). Study of the acceptance and purchase behavior of college students’ audience by Bilibili video insertion advertising. Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management, 11(3), 121–124. https://doi.org/10.54097/fbem.v11i3.13201
Wang, Y., Lu, Z., Cao, P., Chu, J., Wang, H., & Wattenhofer, R. (2022). How live streaming changes shopping decisions in E-commerce: A study of live streaming commerce. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), 31(4), 701–729. https://doi.org/ptph
Wu, Q. (2022). How does Bilibili compete with the other video sites in China: The role of danmu, audience engagement, uses and gratifications, and the niche [PhD, Bowling Green State University].
Xu, B., & Li, D. (2015). An empirical study of the motivations for content contribution and community participation in Wikipedia. Information & Management, 52(3), 275–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2014.12.003
Yang, W., Normaliza, A. R., B. L. Y., H., & Nurzihan, H. (2024). Sang culture: Social comparisons of generation Z youths in China on social media. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 40(1), 248–266. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2024-4001-14
Yao, L., Tugiman, N., & Sharipudin, M.-N. S. (2024). Virtual human influencers in live streaming commerce on social media platforms: Exploring parasocial interactions with consumers in China. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, 16(4), 47–59.
Zhang, M., & Han, H. (2022). Operation strategies for the PUGC social media video platform based on the value-chain perspective—A Chinese case ‘Bilibili’. In Meiselwitz, G. (Eds.), Social computing and social media: Design, user experience and impact. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Vol. 13315, pp. 217–226). Springer.
Zhao, J., & Wang, L. (2022). User analysis and marketing strategy research of video platform: A study of Bilibili. Proceedings of the 2022 3rd International Conference on Education, Knowledge and Information Management (ICEKIM) (pp. 1152–1157). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEKIM55072.2022.00249
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
e-ISSN: 2289-1528