Danmu
Danmu (simplified Chinese: 弹幕; traditional Chinese: 彈幕, literally: "bullet curtain", figuratively: "barrage") is a form of video commentary used on internet video consisting of scrolling user/viewer messages posted on top of the video in real time. It was first used by Niconico and later adopted by AcFun and Bilibili in the 2010s where it reached a very large viewing audience.
Description
The term "Danmu" or 'bullet chat' is thought to originate from the Japanese danmaku (Bullet hell) video game genre. Both provide an experience of sensory overload. The combination of video and synchronous messaging creates a sense of community for the viewer.[1][2] The messages take multiple forms including spoiler or jump scare warnings, comments, parody, translations including explanatory notes, expert opinion, special effects created using text, including visual cues.[2][1] Though the large amounts of text can be distracting many people use the feature - object recognition technology has also been used to prevent the text occluding key parts of a scene, such as actors or singers.[1] The overlaid messages can be turned off with a toggle.[2]
Danmu was first used on the Japanese streaming site Niconico in 2006, and was implemented on AcFun in China in 2008.[2]
The comments usually scroll from right to left, and are timestamped to appear at a specific point in the video stream and can also be positioned on screen. The format also allows more 'multi-modal' text than traditional video comment systems - e.g. different font color or screen position.[3] Although appearing at a specific time in a video the text does not need to be added live.[4]
As of 2016 in China such messages were able to be posted anonymously, allowing free expression - though some censorship such as removing hate speech and user-reporting of spoilers etc. was practiced.[2] The format also makes use of memes (233333 means 'laughter', 666666 means 'awesome' etc.), and its own vernacular.[2]
Due to its popularity and impact, Danmu has become a topic of scholarly research, including linguistic, sociological, and cultural study as well as potential applications in online learning use.[5]
See also
- Marquee element (web markup element)
- YouTube comment
- Twitch (service)
References
Sources
- Shen, Timmy (27 Jul 2018), "This crazy way people watch videos in China is a whole subculture on its own", www.goldthread2.com, https://www.goldthread2.com/culture/crazy-way-people-watch-videos-china-whole-subculture-its-own/article/2157123
- Li, Xueqing (29 Apr 2016), "China's Video Streaming Sites Embrace 'Bullet Screens'", www.sixthtone.com, https://www.sixthtone.com/news/791/chinas-video-streaming-sites-embrace-bullet-screens
- Zhang, Leticia-Tian; Cassany, Daniel (2020), "Making sense of danmu: Coherence in massive anonymous chats on Bilibili.com", Discourse Studies 22 (4): 483–502, doi:10.1177/1461445620940051
Further reading
- So, Vincent (31 Oct 2017), "Creative Audience Participation Through 'Danmu'", chinacreative.humanities.uva.nl, https://chinacreative.humanities.uva.nl/creative-audience-participation-through-danmu/
- Fan, Si; Lu, Yaobin; Zhao, Ling; Pan, Zhao (2017), "You Are Not Alone: the Impacts of Danmu Technological Features And Co-experience On Consumer Video Watching Behavior", PACIS 2017 Proceedings (85), https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2017/85/
- Fan, Si; Liu, Jingwen; Zhu, Ting (2018), "Role of Danmu Function in User Experience and Engagement: A Double-edged Sword", WHICEB 2018 Proceedings, https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/301375048.pdf
- Wang, Jiayi (2020), "How and why people are impolite in danmu?", Internet Pragmatics 2 (1): 295–322, doi:10.1075/ip.00057.wan, http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/34110/1/34110%20Impoliteness%20in%20danmu_IP%202020.pdf
- Cao, X. (2019). "Bullet screens (Danmu): texting, online streaming, and the spectacle of social inequality on Chinese social networks". Theory, Culture & Society: 0263276419877675.
External links
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