Discourse analysis of “just chatting” streams on YouTube live: focusing on the interaction between virtual YouTubers and viewers

This paper analyzes the constraints that Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) encounter during “just chatting” streams on YouTube Live when interacting with viewers who send text messages. We apply quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how frequently streamers refer to viewers’ messages, the time lag between message receipt and reference, and how streamers cope linguistically with live streaming constraints. The analysis demonstrates that streamers struggle to address all messages, particularly given the occurrence of unavoidable time lags. We also found that streamers use three methods to manage these challenges: “reading messages aloud”, “reading usernames aloud”, and “using adjacency pairs”. Additionally, we noted that in “reading messages aloud” – the most frequently used method – quotative particles and reporting verbs are often omitted, deviating from general modern Japanese grammar. This omission, while similar to phenomena in spoken Japanese, is uniquely influenced by the nature of live streaming and “just chatting” activities.