Role of Social Media in Online Travel Information Search - Essay Example

?Role of social media in online travel information search Introduction The internet has created a world which is very much interconnected. The lines of communication know no bounds in the current age of electronic and digital technology. What used to take months to relay to other people now only takes a few clicks on one’s computer mouse to transmit. One of the most important technological advancements which have recently made a major impact on the field of communication is the social media. The social media which include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other similar websites have become powerful and influential tools of communication. These social media networks have allowed for the voice of the general public to impact significantly on the direction of social, political, cultural, and economic relations. This paper shall now discuss the role of the social media in online travel information search. This paper in general, will discuss the social media aligned with eTravel, mostly in terms of how the social media impacts on decisions of travellers, both in terms of the positive and negative impact. First a discussion on the role and importance of social media within the eTravel environment will be discussed, followed by an evaluation of the application of technology and partner relationships. An analysis of the applicable aligned variables, including the use and function of the websites or IT applications will also be presented. Body Facebook and Twitter have become important and extensive tools of communication for most individuals, not just the younger, but the older generations as well. It has also become a valuable tool for corporations and politicians in terms of generating public opinion, customer preferences, as well as customer reviews (Park and Oh, 2012). For tourists, the internet has also become an important resource. Social media is founded on openness, interconnectedness, and general participation. Many people are using the social media in order to keep their personal and professional life updated (Park and Oh, 2012). Micro-blogging sites have also become a crucial communication channel for businesses. In addition, the growth of these social media sites have also allowed customers to purchase products and secure services at discounted prices (Bansal and Chen, 2011). With the customers now acknowledging the impact of social media in most activities, the tourism industry has also taken the time to apply strategic reforms relating to social marketing via the social media. In Australia for example, their tourism agency established marketing processes via Facebook (Park and Oh, 2012). Continental Airlines has also secured periodic and open lines of communication with their customers via instant messages and posts in their Facebook page; and these posts have allowed customers and followers to have questions answered immediately (Park and Oh, 2012). Through the social media network, the customers’ questions are answered in real time. Websites like Kayak.com are even able to announce various activities including special offers and new products through Twitter in order to draw in as many customers as possible (Park and Oh, 2012). With this significant elements relating to the social media and online travel information, it is important to evaluate the role of the social media in consumer behaviour, while considering the changes in new information technologies (Chan and Guillet, 2011). Understanding the social media is important because such understanding would ultimately delineate the coverage of the social media marketing activities. The social media is based on online applications and platforms which seek to manage interaction, collaboration, and information sharing (Universal McCann, 2008). The social media also refers to activities which allow individuals to support their websites and services via online social channels and then to communicate with the larger society (Weinberg, 2009). The social media is also impacting on the traditional activities relating to marketing. Traditional marketing covers unilateral information relay, very much like television and radio. For web-based materials however, an interactive process supports more dynamic processes (Trusov, et.al., 2009). The social media also allows for the timely management of data in simple as well as informal manners, also allowing consumers to spread the information themselves. The customers therefore have become an active part of the communication chain (Ryan and Jones, 2009). Social media also allows for micro-blogging and social commerce. Companies are using micro-blogging in order to provide data for consumers using a push format with customers spreading the information to their friends and ‘followers’ (Honeycutt and Herring, 2009). The companies also utilise social networking in order to ensure favourable relations with consumers as well as supporting intimate interactions with them (Boyd and Ellison, 2007). Social commerce is mostly carried out via third parties who become intermediaries between companies and customers (Stephen and Olivier, 2010). The social media has specific qualities which make them significant marketing resources. Firstly, immediacy is one of the main reasons for their significance. Such immediacy supports the spread of data faster than what is normally expected in the offline setting (Suh and Park, 2010). Another reason is that interrelations allow for interactions between consumers and businesses via online processes (Michaelidou, et.al., 2011). Finally, social media is open and allows everyone to share in the information (Suh and Park, 2010). Through these qualities, the social media marketing is allowing for the different general advantages for business activities. Social media marketing ensures the awareness of the people of the brand (Qualman, 2009). It is also used to promote the image of the brand as it constantly allows for the posting of positive images and reviews for the company. In general therefore, the social media marketing must not be considered an excess search engine marketing tool; it must be used as a tool in supporting the marketing of products which can reach a large population in different parts of the world (Trusov, et.al., 2009). Consumers’ behaviour has often been affected by the activities relating to information communication technologies (Buhalis and Law, 2008). The introduction of Web 2.0 also dramatically improved consumer relations and consumer travel plans. In the US, about 82% of travel plans have made travel plans by first checking online reviews as well as blogs and feedbacks posted online (Park and Oh, 2012). TripAdvisor, a consumer review website for travellers has also become one of the most popular travel review sites, providing contributions from and assistance to about 50 million users a month (Park and Oh, 2012). The website has become a major source of information for tourists, often providing reliable reviews about their trips and giving these tourists ideas on how they would plan their vacations. Social networking sites support consumer posts and sharing. They allow the users to relate and communicate with each other through personal profiles, friend invites, photos, electronic mail and instant messaging. These profiles often include numerous data, including pictures, videos, audios, and blogs (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Social media is also based on word-of-mouth (WOM), which often involves comments on products and services posted online, with both known and unknown individuals providing sources of such WOM (Bronner and de Hoog, 2011). Electronic WOM (eWOM) is often more influential due to its global and international impact, its user-friendly application, anonymity, and absence of direct contact among users and reviewers. According to Akoumianakis et al. (2011), reviewing destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and their application networks of application have significant potential, allowing tourists to manage their activities, manage consumer needs, including travellers’ benefits. Based on the demand side, research also indicates the role of residents as travel information providers (Lange-Faria and Elliott, 2012). Residents in specific destinations also impact on travel planning activities, including areas of food and drinks suggestions and accommodations. Experienced travellers also provide significant reviews in terms of safety, currency, and transportation issues. To increase the impact of eWOM, it is important to understand the motivations of travellers in taking part in online interactions. Finding data easily and quickly impacts on the level of participation and the perspective users would have towards online users (Chung and Buhalis, 2008). Dippelreiter and colleagues (2008) differentiate between different interactions in the online travel community. One of these interactions includes personal interactions, where the members usually just interact with each other and exchange information. The users declare that various data needs are sought from the earliest days of the travel until the end of the trip. Other studies indicate that as most destination marketing organizations have included user-generated content to their websites, not many DMOs have considered the elements which allow for online travel communities successful (Osti, 2009). The analysis of Osti (2009) on a mountain-climbing online group established that online groups have to connect with tourists and travellers who share likes and qualities in order to sustain their activities. As the internet has eliminated geographical boundaries, face-to-face interactions have become supportive of virtual groups. Blogs are still considered a popular media supporting user-generated content applied by destination-oriented groups. Studies indicate that blogs serve numerous needs within the DMO setting (Fotis, et.al., 2010). These blogs have influenced the perceptions of travellers, often helping to brand destinations. For DMOs, blogs are also eWOM as they secure information for travellers, mostly as a tool for them to identify and characterize their experiences. Blogs also help organizations and businesses monitor visitor attitudes towards certain destinations (Carson, 2007). As stories from visitors are shared, the DMOs can gather data on the destinations, both positive and negative. Through these stories, the DMOs can help improve their services, often managing activities, as well as creating value and meaning for their visitors (Woodside, et.al., 2007). Stories impact on individuals, drawing them into practical perspectives of the travelling experience (Woodside, et.al., 2007). The tools of the internet and electronic technology include virtual presence as well as three-dimensional resources which support computer-based and simulated environments (Kim and Hardin, 2010). Virtual presence is seen to support tourism in various ways, including planning activities, marketing, as well as entertainment. Studies on 3D worlds imply that virtual worlds may soon become popular as websites (Pearlman and Gates, 2010). Issues arising from the Pearlman and Gates (2010) study include the level of acceptance which visitors would have on the sites being substitutes for the actual sites, and the motivations of individuals to visit these sites. Where visitors have favourable experiences in these virtual worlds, a strong motivation to visit the destination is often seen. The quality of these experiences and perceptions were considered highly significant, with influential elements including the ease of navigation and feelings of presence in the virtual world (Huang, et.al., 2010). A possibility emerging from the use of virtual worlds includes the increased possibility of positive eWOM (Kim and Hardin, 2010). Since interaction is based on physical face-to-face communication, inquiries from tourists can be answered immediately and directly, often increasing the chance for positive feedback and eventually positive word-of-mouth. In general, although studies generally indicate that pervasive settings affect tourist destination making processes, the acceptance of virtual applications is still in its earliest stages, calling for high levels of technical support in order to suit the tourist conditions and needs well (Pantano and Servidio, 2011). Various theories and concepts have been discussed in order to understand the social media and its impact on consumer behaviour. Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) suggested theories of media richness, social presence, and social processes as foundations of social media. Social presence theory indicates that with higher levels of social presence, the impact of communicators on behaviour is increased (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Social presence in effect would be based on the richness of the media. Media richness theory points out that the goal of communication is based on the management of ambiguity and eliminating vagueness (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Self-presentation and self-disclosure is important in this case with virtual worlds supporting better social presence and self-presentation. Within the virtual world, the user can recreate the face-to-face world (Lange-Faria and Elliott, 2012). In relation to self-presentation, for the real world, there would likely be an attempt to establish data consistent with the image one is portraying. In the virtual setting, users are allowed to project images based on how they communicate it and based on the physical images they use. Based on the discussion by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010), collaborative projects as well as blogs have low scores mostly because they apply text-based simple exchanges. The content groups and social networking sites have moderate scores, indicating their importance in sharing pictures and videos. Highest scores are seen for virtual games which reflect face-to-face interactions (Lange-Faria and Elliott, 2012). In relation to self-presentation and self-disclosure, blogs have a higher score as compared to collaborative activities due to their diverse and inclusive content in terms of specific projects. Social sites score moderate scores especially because of their self-disclosure nature with virtual worlds once again ranking high scores (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Another theory relating to the social media and consumer behaviour is the flow theory. Flow is based on the idea of a primary state of interrelations among individuals and the environment (Novak, et.al., 2000). Based on the concept of flow, consumer navigation in the online setting assists in ensuring personal interactions among users. The desire of consumers to revisit websites and make plans based on that website is very much related to the general level of flow. Positive flow experience in the online setting impacts on visitors and their level of engagement, and impacts on their behaviour (Huang, et.al., 2010). For travellers therefore, a favoured flow of information in the online setting also supports their favoured engagement in suggested tourist attraction and destinations. Conclusion For destination marketing organizations, research indicates that social media has a major impact on travel decisions. Individuals who utilize the social media do so in order to gain vital information and also to socialize with other individuals. DMOs are able to collaborate through the social media, managing information, improving details for consumers, and promoting brands via direct interactions with consumers. The consumers also benefit from authentic information based on consumer experiences; often allowing them to plan and design their travels based on consumer recommendations. Blog usage has also grown and has become an important tool in online travel information search. Through these blogs, travellers are able to share and listen to the experiences of others. Patenting the accuracy of information nevertheless requires the tracking and managing of information, including the use of bad reviews to resolve problems and mitigating the impact of negative word of mouth. Such blogs and narratives are therefore effective word-of-mouth resources which impact on traveller and tourist decisions. Although some descriptive blogs may not capture other tactile elements of the destinations, they still are able to provide basic structures for travellers to base their decisions on. Patronage is often based on social interactions as well as the quality of data provided. In effect, the information provided by the social media and other online communities have a crucial role to play in the virtual and the real world, mostly with the added support of social interaction. Technology is therefore a mediator to the entire tourist and travel experience; it has now become more mobile and dynamic. Within the current internet setting, images, videos stories, and other virtual experiences help secure opportunities for individuals to improve their travel experience before, during, and after their travels and other explorations. References Akoumianakis, D., Vidakis, N., Akrivos, A., Milolidakis, G., Kotsalis, D. and Vessis, G. (2011). Building ‘flexible’ vacation packages using collaborative assembly toolkits and dynamic packaging: The case study of the eKoNES. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 17(1), pp. 17-30. Bansal, G., and Chen, L (2011). If they trust our e-commerce site, will they trust our social commerce site too? Differentiating the trust in ecommerce and s-commerce: the moderating role of privacy and security concerns. Proceedings of the 6th Midwest Association for Information Systems Conference, Omaha, Nebraska. Boyd, D., and Ellison, N. (2007). Social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), pp. 210-230. Bronner, F. and de Hoog, R. (2011). Vacationers and eWOM: Who posts and why, where and what? Journal of Travel Research, 50(1), pp. 15-26. Buhalis, D. and Law, R. (2008). Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet – the state of eTourism research. Tourism Management, 29(4), pp. 609-623. Carson, D. (2007). The ‘blogosphere’ as a market research tool for tourism destinations: A case study of Australia’s Northern Territory. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 14(2), pp. 111-119. Chan, N. L., and Guillet, B. D. (2011). Investigation of social media marketing: how does the hotel industry in Hong Kong perform in marketing on social media websites?. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 28 (4), pp. 345-368. Chung, Y.J. and Buhalis, D. (2008). Web 2.0: A study of online travel community. In P. O’Connor, W. Hopken and U. Gretzel (Eds.) Proceedings of the International Conference. Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, Innsbruck. Dippelreiter, B., Grun, C., Pottler, M., Seidel, I., Berger, H., Dittenbach, M. and Pesenhofer, A. (2008). Online tourism communities on the path to Web 2.0: An evaluation. Information Technology & Tourism, 10(4), pp. 329-353. Fotis, J., Rossides, N. and Buhalis, D. (2010). Social media impact on leisure travel: The case of the Russian market and the challenges for the Cyprus tourism industry, preliminary findings. Paper presented at the 3rd Annual EuroMed Conference. EuroMed Academy of Business [online]. Available at: http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/16824/1/Fotis,_Rossides,_Buhalis,_2010.pdf [Accessed 01 June 2013]. Honeycutt, C., and Herring, S. C. (2009). Beyond Micro-blogging: Conversation and collaboration via Twitter, Proceedings of the 42nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences IEEE, Big Island, Hawaii. Huang, Y., Backman, S.J. and Backman, K.F. (2010). The impacts of virtual experiences on peoples’ travel intentions. In Proceedings of the International Conference: Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, Lugano. Kaplan, A.M. and Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), pp. 59-68. Kim, J. and Hardin, A. (2010). The impact of virtual worlds on word-of-mouth: Improving social networking and Servicescape in the hospitality industry. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 19(7), pp. 735-753. Lange-Faria, W. and Elliott, S. (2012). Understanding the role of social media in destination marketing. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 7(1), pp. 193-211 Michaelidou, N., Siamagka, N. T., and Christodoulides, G. (2011). Usage, Barriers and Measurement of Social Media Marketing: An Exploratory Investigation of Small and Medium B2B Brands, Industrial Marketing Management, 40 (4), pp. 1153-1159. Novak, T., Hoffman, D. and Yung, Y. (2000). Measuring the customer experience in online environments: A structural modeling approach. Marketing Science, 19(1), pp. 22-42. Osti, L. (2009). Creating UGC areas of official destination websites: Is there a recipe for success? An insight through netnographic research. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 4(3), pp. 99-112. Pantano, E. and Servidio, R. (2011). An exploratory study of the role of pervasive environments for promotion of tourism destinations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 2(1), pp. 50-65. Park, J. and Oh, I. (2012). A case study of social media marketing by travel agency: The salience of social media marketing in the tourism industry. International Journal of Tourism Sciences, 12(1), pp. 93-106. Pearlman, D.M. and Gates, N.A. (2010). Hosting business meetings and special events in virtual worlds: A fad or the future? Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 11(4), pp. 247-265. Qualman, E. (2009). Socialnomics: how social media transforms the way we live and do business, Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ryan, D., and Jones, C. (2009). Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. London and Philadelphia: Kogan Page Inc. Stephen A., and Olivier, T. (2010). Deriving value from social commerce networks. Journal of Marketing Research, 47 (2), pp. 215-228. Suh C. G., and Park H. J. (2010). Effect of tourists' motive on ubiquitous tourism information service character. The Korean Journal of Business Administration. 23 (6), pp. 3251-3264. Trusov M., Bucklin R., and Pauwels K. (2009). Effects of word-of-mouth versus traditional marketing: findings from an internet social networking site, Journal of Marketing, 73 (5), pp. 90–102. Universal McCann. (2008). Power to the people: social media tracker wave 3 [online]. Available at: http://www.universalmccann.com/Assets/UM%20Wave%203%20Final_20080505110444 [Accessed 01 June 2013]. Weinberg, T. (2009). The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web, O’Reilly Media, Sebastopol, California. Woodside, A.G., Cruikshank, B.F. and Dehuang, N. (2007). Stories visitors tell about Italian cities as destination icons. Tourism Management, 28(1), pp. 162-174. Read More