What Influences YouTube Viewers’ Job Engagement? The Role of Vlog Content Characteristics, Vlogger Characteristics, and Educational Value

What Influences YouTube Viewers’ Job Engagement? The Role of Vlog Content Characteristics, Vlogger Characteristics, and Educational Value

YouTube has become a popular platform for vlogs. Among various forms of vlogs, office worker vlogs, in which a person engaged in a specific job shows his/her work environment and daily routine, are gaining popularity. Thus, focusing on office worker vlogs, the present research investigates the effects of office worker vlogs’ characteristics (i.e., vlog content characteristics, vlogger characteristics) on the YouTube viewers’ educational value of the vlog and their job engagement. Specifically, this research examines whether (1) vlog content characteristics (i.e., usefulness, accessibility, and vividness) and (2) vlogger characteristics (i.e., job similarity, credibility, and expertise) influence the YouTube viewers’ educational value of the vlog. Moreover, this research examines how the YouTube viewers’ educational value of the vlog affects their job engagement. With a sample of YouTube viewers of office worker vlogs (N = 215), structural equation modelling was implemented to investigate the relationships in the proposed model. The results indicate that (1) perceived usefulness of the office worker vlog is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; (2) perceived accessibility of the office worker vlog is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog, albeit marginally significant; (3) perceived vividness of the office worker vlog is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; (4) perceived job similarity to the office worker vlogger is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; (5) perceived credibility of the office worker vlogger is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; (6) perceived expertise of the office worker vlogger is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; and (7) the educational value of the office worker vlog is positively associated with the YouTube viewers’ job engagement. The findings provide important implications for the production and use of office worker vlog contents.

YouTube has become a popular platform for vlogs. Among various forms of vlogs, office worker vlogs, in which a person engaged in a specific job shows his/her work environment and daily routine, are gaining popularity. Thus, focusing on office worker vlogs, the present research investigates the effects of office worker vlogs’ characteristics (i.e., vlog content characteristics, vlogger characteristics) on the YouTube viewers’ educational value of the vlog and their job engagement. Specifically, this research examines whether (1) vlog content characteristics (i.e., usefulness, accessibility, and vividness) and (2) vlogger characteristics (i.e., job similarity, credibility, and expertise) influence the YouTube viewers’ educational value of the vlog. Moreover, this research examines how the YouTube viewers’ educational value of the vlog affects their job engagement. With a sample of YouTube viewers of office worker vlogs (N = 215), structural equation modelling was implemented to investigate the relationships in the proposed model. The results indicate that (1) perceived usefulness of the office worker vlog is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; (2) perceived accessibility of the office worker vlog is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog, albeit marginally significant; (3) perceived vividness of the office worker vlog is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; (4) perceived job similarity to the office worker vlogger is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; (5) perceived credibility of the office worker vlogger is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; (6) perceived expertise of the office worker vlogger is positively associated with the educational value of the vlog; and (7) the educational value of the office worker vlog is positively associated with the YouTube viewers’ job engagement. The findings provide important implications for the production and use of office worker vlog contents.