Abstract
Grounded in socio-technical systems theory and media absorption perspectives, this study investigates how social and technical affordances facilitate absorption experience (AE) as a psychologically immersive state of focused attention during hotel live streaming e-commerce (LSE), and how AE subsequently shapes consumer engagement behaviors, including both monetary (e.g., purchase intention) and non-monetary (e.g., liking, commenting, sharing). Drawing on survey data from 334 live streaming viewers, this study utilizes a multi-method analytical framework comprising partial least squares structural equation modeling, necessary condition analysis, and combined importance–performance map analysis. The outcomes verify that social presence, real-time interactivity, metavoicing, and guidance shopping significantly enhance AE, which in turn drives consumer engagement behaviors. The results indicate AE functions as a pivotal mediating mechanism between socio-technical characteristics and consumer engagement outcomes, with social presence emerging as a critical necessary condition for both monetary and non-monetary engagement behaviors. The integrated methodology separates ‘should have’ from ‘must-have’ components, offering a strong foundation for examining asymmetric causal linkages. The findings contribute to hospitality and live streaming e-commerce literature by theorizing AE as a context-appropriate immersive state in hotel live streaming and elucidating how socio-technical systems shape both monetary and non-monetary engagement behaviors, an area that remains insufficiently explored.
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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information file.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Project of Fujian Social Science Foundation in 2025, “Research on the Mechanism and Path of Generative Artificial Intelligence Empowering the Development of New Quality Productivity in Fujian Province” (No. FJ2025C036).
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Teng, YM: conceptualization, writing—original draft, interpretation of the results, validation, and supervision. Wu, KS: conceptualization, data curation, methodology, formal analysis, writing—original draft, and writing—review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Zhezhou Li: visualization, review, and editing.
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Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Ethics Center of the International Business School at Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade. On January 7, 2025, prior to the commencement of data collection, the Center confirmed that the study was exempt from IRB review (Regulation ID: FUIST-IBS-240315), as it involved anonymous survey data with minimal risk and no identifiable information, clinical interventions, or biological samples. As the exemption was confirmed prior to the commencement of data collection, it does not represent retrospective ethical approval. The study complied with relevant institutional and national guidelines for non-interventional human subjects research, including the Declaration of Helsinki (1964 and amendments). The exemption applied to the study design, data collection, and management protocols.
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Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation during the data collection period from 1 March to 15 April 2025. Before accessing the questionnaire, respondents were required to indicate their voluntary agreement after being fully informed in writing about the purpose of the study, research procedures, the voluntary nature of participation, their right to withdraw at any time without penalty, and the measures implemented to ensure anonymity and data confidentiality.
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Appendix 1
Appendix 1
Table 7
Appendix 2. Reliability and validity test results
Appendix 3. NCA scatter plots with CE-FDH ceiling\
Figure 5
A NCA scatter plots with CE-FDH ceiling (social presence vs purchase intention). B NCA scatter plots with CE-FDH ceiling (real-time interactivity vs purchase intention). C NCA scatter plots with CE-FDH ceiling (visibility vs purchase intention). D NCA scatter plots with CE-FDH ceiling (metavoicing vs. purchase intention). E NCA scatter plots with CE-FDH ceiling (guidance shopping vs purchase intention). F NCA scatter plots with CE-FDH ceiling (absorption experience vs purchase intention). Source: Authors’ own calculations using SmartPLS 4 software.
Appendix 4. Necessity Effect Sizes
Table 10
Appendix 5. Bottleneck tables
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Teng, YM., Wu, KS. & Li, Z. The socio-technical engine driving hotel live streaming engagement: insights from PLS-SEM, NCA, and cIPMA. Humanit Soc Sci Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06914-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06914-9



