Might social media change your journey plans?

New University of Georgia research means that social media could possibly be influencing folks’s journey plans.

When folks put up pictures and movies of their journey, they will not be utilizing these posts to only replace household and buddies on what they’re as much as. They additionally adore it when their posts get a bunch of likes and feedback.

The researchers discovered that social media influenced journey plans throughout all age teams, however millennials had been essentially the most impacted. They had been extra more likely to say that individuals who put up about their travels are cool, and that this coolness issue motivates them to go to those self same locations and put up about their very own travels to spice up their social standing.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, child boomers had been much less drawn in by related posts and fewer more likely to base their very own journeys off them.

“Whenever we post something on social media, we expect our peers to respond positively and give likes and comments to create some engagement to our posts,” mentioned Sabrina Rahman, the corresponding creator of the examine and a current doctoral graduate from UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “That expectation of getting positive feedback is what we call ‘social return,’ and we practice it in our everyday life without us knowing.”

Millennials, Gen Z search for distinctive locations

The current publication contains three separate research. Between all three research, the analysis crew product of Bynum Boley, Sabrina Rahman and Zachary Russell surveyed greater than 2,000 members throughout 4 age teams: child boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z.

The surveys requested whether or not folks regarded cool, common and distinctive after they posted about their journeys on-line. Possible locations ranged from the extra mainstream, resembling France and spots within the United States, to much less widespread locations together with Cuba and Slovenia. Participants had been additionally requested if they might go to those self same trip locations primarily based on the posts they noticed.

Which locations folks discovered interesting relied on their age.

Baby boomers had been drawn to posts about mainstream locations resembling France. Younger generations, particularly Gen Z, gravitated towards posts about much less widespread locales.

“Gen Z won’t go with the flow. They’re always looking for novelty or adventure,” Rahman mentioned. “Social media posts about some conventional destination won’t change their travel plans that much.”

Social media guides trip planning within the digital age

Today, social media is entangled with how folks plan and share their holidays. Not solely can it give inspiration and ideas for journey, however it will possibly additionally encourage the place folks select to go.

“It’s a relatively new phenomenon, but it’s very relevant given that about two-thirds of the world’s population are now social media users,” Rahman mentioned. “People look into travel blogs, posts and reviews before traveling, so how appealing we find those destinations on social media shapes our travel intentions. And based on what kind of positive feedback I might get, that anticipation sometimes makes us visit some places or try a new restaurant.”  

This study was led by Bynum Boley, professor of parks, recreation and tourism administration at UGA and the director of the UGA Tourism Research Lab. It has been revealed in Current Issues in Tourism and is co-authored by Zachary Russell.