Short-Form Storytelling on Tiktok, Reels & Shorts from Narrative Emotion to Conversion Behavior

Abstract

This study investigates the links among human-AI collaborative capability, call to action clarity, and conversion intention in short form platforms while assessing the moderating role of emotional resonance. Building on stimulus organism response theory and narrative transportation theory, it frames conversion intention as a behavioral result that stems from coordinated human-AI content creation, clear behavioral guidance, and viewers psychological involvement with short form narratives. Emotional resonance acts as a boundary condition that shapes whether human and AI collaborative storytelling leads to stronger conversion intention. A quantitative cross sectional design gathered responses via a five point Likert scale questionnaire from 385 Vietnamese users of TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts who had seen AI assisted promotional content. IBM SPSS version 26 handled reliability checks, exploratory factor analysis, and multiple linear regression, while Hayes Process Macro Model 1 tested the moderating effect. The results reveal that human-AI collaborative capability with β = 0.655 and call to action clarity with β = 0.623 both significantly raise conversion intention. Collaborative capability yields the stronger direct influence, underscoring the benefit of uniting AI supported generation and personalization with human creativity, contextual judgement, and oversight. Additionally, emotional resonance intensifies the positive link between human-AI collaborative capability and conversion intention through a significant interaction coefficient of 0.409. The outcomes confirm that technological sophistication and clear prompts by themselves cannot secure conversion. Effective short form storytelling demands genuine human participation, understandable yet noncoercive calls-to-action, relatable narratives, and authentic emotional ties that convert viewer attention into behavioral intention.