Reaction video. Nuove forme estetiche, tra identificazione e consumo delle emozioni = Reaction videos. New aesthetic forms between identification and consumption of emotions

This article shares the preliminary results of a larger research study that explores the main forms of appearence of so-called reaction videos and the motives for their viewing. Based on a thematic analysis of the narratives of experience shared by the participant subjected to the viewing of selected reaction videos within 6 focus groups, we examine how participants define reaction videos, their consumption dynamics, and motives. The research participants' narratives centre around the identification with the reaction of the reactor, according to two main declinations: reaction as a commentary/critique on a specific media content and reaction as an emotional manifestation. The current popularity of reaction videos thus invites us to reconsider the idea of an aesthetic specificity of digital media characterized by agency, i.e. the interactivity of the digital user.

本文分享了一项规模更大的研究的初步成果，该研究旨在探究所谓“反应视频（reaction videos）”的主要呈现形态及其观看动机。本研究通过对6组焦点小组访谈中被安排观看选定反应视频的受访者所分享的体验叙事开展主题分析，探讨了受访者如何定义反应视频、其观看行为的动态特征以及观看动机。研究受访者的叙事核心在于对反应者（reactor）的反应的认同，主要分为两大面向：其一，反应视频作为对特定媒体内容的评论或批判；其二，反应视频作为情感表达的载体。鉴于反应视频当下的流行态势，这促使我们重新审视“以行动主体性（agency）为特征的数字媒体具备美学特异性”这一观点，而行动主体性即指数字用户的互动性。