How AI micro-short dramas shape users’ sharing behavior
Visual persuasion, emotional empathy, and communication transformation—evidence from China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22093786 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wei Luo (0000-0003-2826-1723, Guilin University of Technology), Yuqi Song (0009-0000-8148-9212, Guilin University of Technology, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-24 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2297-900X • E-ISSN: 2297-900X |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fcomm.2026.1848472 |
| OpenAlex | W7165792820 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 55 |
Background Under the background of media convergence, micro-short dramas have become a popular form of communication because of their serial narrative structure and lightweight viewing features, and they are increasingly being integrated with digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence Generated Content. Methods Drawing on survey data from Chinese users with prior exposure to AI micro-short dramas, this study develops an integrated framework to examine users' sharing behavior. Grounded in media convergence, the framework combines visual persuasion theory, the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), and the SIPS model, and incorporates visual persuasion features, immersive experience, perceived information density, emotional empathy, and sharing behavior to construct a sequential explanatory framework of “visual features–cognitive/experiential processing–emotional empathy–sharing behavior”. Results The results show that the visual persuasive features of AI micro-short dramas significantly promote users' sharing behavior by creating immersive experiences, increasing perceived information density, and triggering emotional empathy. Discussion This study enriches the research on the sharing behaviors of users of AI micro-short dramas, and provided useful references for improving content creation and dissemination methods in practical scenarios such as “AI + content dissemination”
Digital media · Elaboration likelihood model · Information sharing · Narrative · Persuasion · Social media · Visual Communication · AI in Service Interactions · Media Influence and Health · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
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| Highly cited | No |
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