The drivers and boundaries of consumer switching from full-length to derivative condensed content

Abstract

The widespread adoption of mobile technology has transformed media consumption habits, giving rise to ‘snack culture’ which is characterised by condensed, easily shareable content formats. Although prior research has introduced the concept of snack culture, the consumer shifts from full-length to derivative condensed content remain unexplored. Drawing on the Push-Pull-Mooring framework and Uses and Gratifications theory, this study investigated factors influencing viewers' switching from traditional moviegoing to consuming movie-condensed (recap) videos. PLS-SEM and fsQCA were complementarily used to analyse data from viewers. Results revealed that perceived conciseness, entertainment value, ubiquity, trendiness of movie-condensed videos, and monetary cost of moviegoing significantly drove positive attitudes toward condensed videos, leading to switching behaviour. Additionally, cinephilia was found to weaken the influence of trendiness on attitude, and switching was genre-dependent. From these findings, this study offers three key contributions. First, it advances snack culture literature by demonstrating the psychological mechanisms underlying media format-switching behaviour, showing how pull factors (entertainment, conciseness, ubiquity, trendiness), a push factor (monetary cost), and a mooring factor (cinephilia) drive the transition to condensed content consumption. Second, it extends media competition literature by revealing how derivative condensed content serves both complementary and substitutive roles through its inherent characteristics. Third, it identifies genre-dependent patterns of substitution, establishing content characteristics as a crucial boundary condition for media displacement effects. These insights highlight the need for entertainment producers to adapt their strategies to evolving consumer preferences.