The Motivations Of College Students’ Use Of Social Networking Sites In Travel Information Search Behavior: The Mediating Effect Of Interacting With Other Users

Social networking sites (SNSs) have proliferated rapidly in the last few years and continue to grow in popularity. This study argues that social networking sites play a pivotal role in college students’ trip information search behavior. The primary objective is to identify motivations that influence college students’ propensity to use SNSs to search for travel information, leading to the development of a model. This study also examines the mediating effect of interacting with other users on the relationship between motivations and information search behavior using SNSs. Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses and a mediating effect. The results indicate that all four motivations (i.e., self-expression, commenting, participating in a community forum, and information seeking) affect college students’ use of SNSs when they seek travel-related information. It is also observed that interacting with others on SNSs has a mediating role in both motivations and information search behavior. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Sharing travel stories and behavioral outcomes: A case of travel

The benefits of tourism have been drawing a great deal of attention from tourists, community, and society alike. This study investigates how tourists' story sharing activities influence their post-purchase behavioral process, depending on different communication conditions. Two 2x2 between-subject experiments were conducted with recent travelers in the U.S. Results reveal tourists' post-purchase behavioral processes depend on what, how, and with whom they engage in post-trip story sharing activity. Findings contribute to the literature on purchase-driven happiness, self-enhancement, well-being, and communications by providing evidence on how different communication conditions alter the effects of tourists' story sharing on their post-purchase behavioral outcomes. Findings also suggest that destination marketers should apply strategies to encourage tourists’ story sharing activity.     

Social media marketing in wine tourism: winery owners’ perceptions

This paper examines winery owners’ attitudes and perceptions regarding the use of social media in marketing and promoting wine tourism online. Empirical evidence is provided by a sample of 20 winery owners in the North Italian region of Langhe, who have engaged to a greater or lesser extent in social media. The findings show that while the majority of winery owners recognise the social, economic and emotional benefits of social media, they are far from exploiting its full potential, partially due to barriers such as their agricultural mentality and the time-consuming nature of social media.     

Travelers’ food experience sharing on social network sites

The proliferation of social media offers new avenues for understanding traveler information sharing behavior. The purpose of this study was to explore the patterns of traveler food sharing experiences on soial network sites, their triggers, and consequences as well as the inter-relationships among these factors. Thirty-three semi-structured interviews and subsequent thematic analysis revealed five major sharing motivation domains including Social and relational, Self-image projection, Emotion articulation, Self-archiving, and Information sharing, all of which were situated along the two continuums (self–others and psychology–functionality) of a two-dimensional plane. This research uncovers fresh insights that are unique to travelers’ food experience sharing and offers theoretical contributions as well as practical implications for destination marketers.     

Too close to work together? Identity conflicts induced by coworker friendships in cyberspace

The meteoric rise in the popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) has connected many employees with their contacts from work. However, clashes are catalyzed when individuals’ professional identities collide with their social ones. This paper aims to explore hotel employees’ identity conflicts stemming from cross-boundary friendships. Building on cognitive dissonance theory and conservation of resources theory, a multilevel model is proposed to examine how befriending colleagues on SNSs induces unfavorable workplace consequences through the mediation effect of identity conflict. The model further scrutinizes whether task interdependence intensifies this negative spillover. This study probes a novel identity issue aroused by SNS interactions in a professional context and advances research on interpersonal dynamics in organizations. It also provides new insights on the role of team-level situational factors. The results generate managerial implications for hotels and employees, suggesting that both groups should be better prepared for possible dilemmas embedded in cross-boundary relationships.     

Facebook as international eMarketing strategy of Taiwan hotels

Taiwan hotels need to focus on international eMarketing because these cater to international travelers, especially with leisure travelers expected to increase in the coming years. Facebook offers a wide range of opportunities for the international eMarketing of hotels. Investigation of the current use of Facebook, as an international eMarketing tool, by six large hotels in Taiwan showed presence in Facebook and use of basic features. However, the use of different Facebook features varied. While the hotels were able to connect with international leisure travelers via Facebook for the communication of marketing messages, the reach is limited to Chinese-speaking users using Chinese as the primary language, even for hotel pages accessible through English accounts. Language use also limited interaction in spreading the message virally to the wider international leisure travelers. Employing options to accommodate English and even other languages by selecting from available language support options can enhance international eMarketing via Facebook of hotels.     

Tourism and online photography

This paper documents the use of online travel photo-sharing technologies among Hong Kong residents. The advent of Web 2.0 is changing fundamentally the tourist information search and destination choice process. Yet, to date, no study has documented Web 2.0 usage levels and preferences for certain media for posting travel photographs across an entire community. This study reveals that some 89% of pleasure travelers take photographs and that 41% of them posted their photographs online. Social network sites (SNSs), instant messaging, online photo albums and personal blogs were the most popular media used. In general, people who post photographs online tend to be younger, better educated, and earn a higher income than those who do not. The study determined that most people also use multiple media platforms to disseminate their images. Cluster analysis based on the four major styles of online platform identified five cohorts of users who differed in number and type of media used, demographic profile and travel motive. Implications for destination promotion are discussed.     

How do cyberspace friendships transition to favorable workplace outcomes? The self-team joint influence

The rise of social networking sites (SNSs) has revolutionized the way that individuals connect and interact with other. By building on boundary theory and social exchange theory, this study investigates whether cyberspace coworker friendships transition into positive organizational outcomes in the workplace. Using the case of Facebook, a multilevel model is proposed, leading from SNS coworker friendship to job embeddedness and satisfaction through the mediating role of instrumental coworker support. Furthermore, the moderating effect of team-level task interdependence on this life–work transition is scrutinized. This study fills the void of inadequate empirical research on boundary crossing, and enriches literature that predominantly centers on the negatively valanced outcomes of such transitions. It also advances the literature on how team-level task interdependence could moderate the role of cyberspace coworker friendships. Results pave the way for both organizations and employees to embrace fulfilling outcomes through life–work social exchanges.