Do Initiating Formats of Videos make a difference? An examination of three video initiating formats

Supervisor: Assoc Prof Jack Jiang
Examiners: Assoc Prof Tan Chuan Hoo and Dr. Oh Hyelim

ABSTRACT:

Although the audience's perception of a digital video is largely influenced by the video's initiating format, little is known about the effects of various video initiating formats. This study aims to understand the effects of three video initiating formats (full autoplay, silent autoplay, and click-to-play) on video effectiveness. Drawing on the psychological reactance theory and the information-gap theory, we hypothesize that these three video initiating formats lead to changes in the audience's attitudes toward, attention to, and memory of the video.

We also examine whether these effects are contingent upon the identity of the video (i.e., whether the video is an advertisement or a component of the main content of the page). We then describe a lab experiment designed for testing the hypotheses. Finally, we briefly discuss the theoretical and practical implications of this study and propose some directions for future research.