Examining gifting behavior on live streaming platforms: An identity-based motivation model

Social live streaming services are becoming increasingly popular worldwide, and viewers' gifting behavior is critical to the success of the business model of these services. However, factors leading to such behavior are not well understood. Drawing on an identity-based motivation model, this study examines how class and relational identities affect viewers' gifting behavior and how social density elicited by Danmaku as a significant contextual cue moderates the effects of identities on viewers' gifting behavior. This study contributes to the gifting literature by revealing the differential effects of class and relational identities on gifting behavior and theorizing about the moderating effects of social density on these effects.