Effects of attractions and social attributes on peoples’ usage intention and media dependence towards chatbot: The mediating role of parasocial interaction and emotional support

This study explores chatbots from the perspective of emotional connections, emphasizing how users' perceptions of chatbot attraction and social attributes facilitate para-social interaction and emotional support. Theoretically, it extends the application of para-social interaction theory and emotional support into the domain of human-chatbot communication, enriching the understanding of affective mechanisms in human-AI relationships. Methodologically, the study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a multidimensional mediation model using large-scale survey data, examining psychological pathways linking chatbot characteristics to users' behavioral responses. These findings offer new insights for the optimization of human-computer interaction applications and the improvement of chatbot design in practice.