Studies of reaction media within global networked culture have emphasized the political economy and hegemonic meanings of reaction videos and particularly considered the role of the close-up as creating the meaning of the “reaction.” This article alternatively examines Uncle Roger’s reaction media through a medium-specific and cross-platform perspective, considering both textual and audiovisual image-based reactions, to explore the nuances of reaction media as a meta mode of engagement. Drawing on a case study approach, online observation, and qualitative textual analysis, this research investigates Uncle Roger’s reaction videos and reactions to his content across YouTube, TikTok, Douyin, and Bilibili. By conceptualizing reaction media as a cross-platform practice, we suggest the need for an expanded and more dynamic definition of what constitutes reaction media. We seek to explore reaction media as globalizing social media entertainment that is not only defined by authenticity and community but also by reactivity. This article attempts to interrogate current literature on reaction media built on YouTube reaction videos and contributes to the studies in platformized cultural production and social media entertainment.
Meng et al. (Fri,) studied this question.