Facial emotional expressions and real-time viewership in cycling travel live streaming: A mixed-methods approach

Cycling live streamers exhibit a range of facial expressions that reflect the physical and mental challenges of their activities, such as concentration and exhaustion, alongside moments of joy and awe, which contrast sharply with the more controlled and promotional setting of live e-commerce streaming. Drawing on emotional contagion theory, this research examines how the facial expressions of cycling travel live streamers influence real-time viewership using a mixed-methods approach. Study 1 utilizes real cycling travel live streaming data to identify the facial expressions of travel live streamers. Findings show that anger, sadness/exhaustion/grimness, and joy/happiness of cycling travel live streamers significantly affect real-time viewership. Study 2 employs semi-structured in-depth interviews to explore the reasons why viewers initially stay in a cycling travel live streaming. This study identifies three key mechanisms influencing the live streamer-viewer dynamic: emotional resonance, authenticity, and social interaction. The study makes important contributions to tourism literature by extending emotional contagion theory to a vibrant digital environment and methodologically, integrating biometric technology for a second-by-second capture of facial expressions and real-time viewership.