Understanding AI-Based Content Recommendation Experience Perceptions on Short-Video Platforms and Enhancing Customer Engagement: The Mediation of Empathy and Self-Congruence

This study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between customer experience perceptions (including trendiness, aesthetic quality, information quantity, personalization quality, entertainment, and accuracy) and engagement within the context of AI-based content recommendation systems on short-video platforms, with a focus on the mediating role of empathy and self-congruence. 781 online responses were collected in Vietnam, and a structural equation model was utilized to analyze the data. The findings show a significant positive impact of AI-based content recommendation experience perceptions on empathy and self-congruence. The link between empathy and customer engagement and the association between self-congruence and customer engagement were found to be positive. This study validates six dimensions used to measure customer experience perceptions of AI recommendations on short-video social media platforms and examines the knock-on effects of this concept on the psychological nuances and behavioral outcomes of consumers. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.