In an era where digital interaction increasingly shapes consumer behavior, understanding the drivers behind purchases in culturally rich markets has garnered considerable academic and commercial interest. A compelling study recently published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications sheds new light on how viewers engage with intangible cultural heritage (ICH) products through live streaming platforms. Leveraging the Means-End Chain (MEC) framework—a cognitive model describing how consumers relate product attributes to personal values—the research examines the influence of Parasocial Interaction (PSI) and Vicarious Learning (VL) on viewers’ perceived value and consequent purchase intentions. It further explores how Perceived Enjoyment (PE) moderates these relationships, offering nuanced insights into the cognitive and emotional processes underpinning modern digital commerce in cultural contexts.
Central to the study is the MEC framework, first formulated by Reynolds and Olson (2001), which proposes that consumers connect product attributes (“Means”) to their personal goals or values (“Ends”) through a chain of cognitive evaluations. By applying this framework to ICH live streaming—a dynamic that blends cultural transmission with commerce—researchers have identified the dual roles of PSI and VL. Parasocial interaction refers to the emotional bonds viewers form with hosts or influencers, fostering a sense of intimacy despite the one-sided nature of the interaction. Vicarious learning, in contrast, describes the viewer’s acquisition of knowledge through observing the demonstrations and cultural explanations provided by live streamers. The study finds that both PSI and VL significantly enhance viewers’ perceived value (PV) of ICH products, but VL exerts a stronger influence. This suggests knowledge acquisition plays a more pivotal role than emotional connection in value formation within such specialized contexts.
This greater impact of vicarious learning may be attributed to the inherently knowledge-intensive nature of intangible cultural heritage products, which often require deeper cognitive engagement to appreciate their cultural significance. Hosts proficient in cultural narratives and historical context thus fulfill an educational function that aligns closely with viewers’ motivations for tuning into live streams focused on ICH. As viewers seek rich, contextual information, their engagement with the product’s cultural meaning intensifies, translating into heightened PV. Conversely, PSI complements this effect by enhancing emotional attachment and social experience, deepening the viewers’ connection with the product through empathy and relatedness.
The study’s usage of the MEC framework extends to validate the cognitive pathways through which live streaming attributes translate into consumption motivation. By integrating PSI, VL, PV, and purchase intention (PI), the researchers effectively illustrate how attributes of the live streaming context serve as conduits for cultural value transmission. This merging of economic and cultural dimensions elucidates important mechanisms of value construction—how ICH products move beyond transactional goods to embody meaningful cultural symbols within consumers’ mental schemas. Such findings strengthen the theoretical foundation for understanding consumer behavior in emerging ICH live commerce platforms and highlight the transformative potential of digital cultural marketing.
Another significant revelation is the critical role of perceived value as a predictor of purchase intention. Consistent with broader consumption research, PV operates as the essential mediator linking product attributes to behavioral intentions. Here, the emotional and practical values conveyed through PSI and VL indirectly influence purchase outcomes by shaping consumers’ cognitive evaluations of product worth. This underscores the layered complexity of consumer decision-making processes in live streaming settings, where affective and cognitive components intertwine to inform final purchase behavior. The multifaceted nature of value perception calls for marketing strategies that simultaneously address knowledge dissemination and social-emotional engagement.
However, the study introduces a counterintuitive moderating effect of perceived enjoyment, revealing that excessive enjoyment can actually dampen the positive impacts of PSI and VL on perceived value. Rooted in prior research by Turel and Serenko (2012), this negative moderation suggests that heightened enjoyment may divert cognitive resources away from deeper understanding of product attributes. Unlike conventional product shopping scenarios where enjoyment often fuels purchases, intangible cultural heritage products demand reflective cognition to appreciate their symbolic and historical significance. Excessive focus on entertainment content within live streams risks trivializing cultural products, reducing them to mere amusement rather than meaningful artifacts.
This finding presents a paradox in cultural live streaming: while interactivity and enjoyment are vital to attract viewers and maintain platform vitality, an overemphasis on entertainment can undermine the educational and cultural mission intrinsic to ICH products. The subtle balance between entertainment and education emerges as a pivotal challenge for live streaming hosts and platform designers alike, necessitating content strategies that engage without compromising cultural depth. Particularly for culturally diverse audiences, superficial engagement threatens the preservation and transmission of heritage meanings, potentially weakening cultural authenticity.
The research further differentiates the nature of PSI and VL with respect to their susceptibility to perceived enjoyment’s moderating influence. Because PSI centers on immediacy and emotional exchange, it is more vulnerable to the distractions posed by pleasurable content. In contrast, VL requires higher cognitive investment, involving rational processes to absorb cultural and historical contexts. This cognitive demand buffers VL’s connection to perceived value from the erosion effects of enjoyment-centric content, implying that knowledge-based learning retains some resilience within entertainment-driven environments.
These insights bear meaningful implications for stakeholders seeking to optimize live streaming for ICH product marketing. Cultivating knowledgeable hosts who can effectively deliver cultural storytelling and contextual explanations enhances vicarious learning and strengthens value perception. Simultaneously, fostering authentic social-emotional interactions through PSI contributes to consumer attachment but must be managed to avoid over-indulgence in entertainment. Platforms should innovate content formats that harmonize enjoyment with depth, perhaps incorporating interactive elements that stimulate both affective involvement and cognitive reflection.
Moreover, the study underscores the importance of audience segmentation, recognizing that varying cultural backgrounds and cognitive preferences modulate how viewers process live streaming content and derive value. Designing tailored experiences that account for these differences can elevate engagement quality and preserve the cultural integrity of ICH products. Future technological enhancements might leverage AI-driven personalization to balance entertainment with education, thereby optimizing perceived value and purchase intentions across diverse user cohorts.
In the broader scope of digital commerce and cultural preservation, this research bridges gaps between consumer psychology, media studies, and heritage marketing. The nuanced understanding of how MEC theory applies to live streaming environments charts new territory for interdisciplinary inquiry. It also provides practical guidance to policymakers and cultural institutions aiming to harness live streaming as a tool for heritage sustainability without sacrificing economic viability.
As online shopping and cultural consumption continue converging, the study’s revelations prompt reflection on the evolving nature of digital heritage engagement. They invite further exploration of how emerging technologies—such as augmented reality and immersive storytelling—might enhance both vicarious learning and parasocial connections, potentially reshaping value perceptions in unforeseen ways. Balancing enjoyment, cognition, and emotion remains a delicate endeavor, critical to realizing the full potential of intangible cultural heritage in the digital age.
Ultimately, the findings compel a rethinking of live streaming not merely as a transactional medium but as a complex cultural ecosystem where value is co-created through cognitive and emotional pathways. This paradigm shift opens new vistas for research and practice, aligning economic consumption with cultural education and emotional resonance. As ICH products traverse digital realms, the demand for sophisticated models guiding consumer engagement and content design grows increasingly urgent.
The study’s comprehensive approach enriches the discourse on digital consumer behavior, especially within the niche yet expanding market of intangible cultural heritage products. It situates live streaming as more than a marketing avenue, framing it as an interactive cultural interface that shapes how heritage is perceived, valued, and ultimately purchased. As live commerce becomes ubiquitous, understanding these undercurrents is vital for sustaining cultural diversity and fostering meaningful economic development in the digital marketplace.
In conclusion, the research provides robust empirical evidence affirming the MEC framework’s suitability for dissecting consumer behavior in ICH live streaming. It identifies critical mechanisms—PSI and VL—that drive perceived value and purchase intentions while cautioning against the potentially undermining effects of excessive enjoyment. These insights reveal intricate dynamics that must be skillfully navigated to balance entertainment with cultural authenticity. This pioneering study thus lays the groundwork for future innovations in digital heritage marketing and contributes to safeguarding the profound significance of intangible cultural heritage through modern technological adoption.
Subject of Research: Understanding viewers’ purchase behavior of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) products using the Means-End Chain (MEC) framework.
Article Title: Understanding viewers’ purchase of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) products: a perspective of the Means-End Chain (MEC) framework.
Article References:
Zhang, B., Zhang, Y. Understanding viewers’ purchase of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) products: a perspective of the Means-End Chain (MEC) framework. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 975 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05192-1
Image Credits: AI Generated
