In this study we conceptualize cues in social media that require a single click (e.g., Likes, Favorites) as paralinguistic digital affordances (PDAs). Why do people use PDAs and how do they interpret them when they are the recipient? Through focus groups (N = 25) and interviews (N = 26) we address these research questions within a uses and gratifications framework. Using adaptive structuration theory as a lens for analysis, we examine both faithful and ironic uses of PDAs, finding they contribute more than phatic communication and may indicate just as much about the relationship between sender and receiver as they do content.

In this paper, we introduce live streaming commerce-e-commerce integrated with real-time social interaction via live streams. Using a uses and gratifications framework, we identified four motivations (enjoyment of interaction, substitutability of personal examination, need for community, and trend setting) related to live streaming commerce, and explored relationships between motivations and behavioral intentions in three different scenarios: general watching scenario, product search scenario, and internet celebrity scenario. Results showed that substitutability of personal examination was associated with the general watching scenario and product search scenario, while enjoyment of interaction was associated with the internet celebrity scenario. Trend setting was associated with all scenarios but need for community was insignificant with all scenarios. Design implications based on results are discussed for future live streaming commerce system development.