An Investigation of Motivation to Share Online Content by Young Travelers — Why and Where

Abstract

Social networks and social media channels have experienced phenomenal growth and influence over the last few years and provide a platform where consumers share video clips, pictures and texts to express their opinions and experiences of products and services. This raises major issues for hotels and travel firms, when consumers resort to instantly available, online and unmanaged information to choose destinations, accommodation and travel suppliers. This paper examines the phenomenon of shared “content” online and particularly investigates, why, when, where and what type of content (young) travel consumers share online in the context of a recent “trip”. The method used is an online survey with mostly quantitative data gathered from nearly 450 respondents. The preliminary results reveal that most respondents post content within a week of completing a trip, that they mostly post text and photos and that they are more likely to post content on their “own” social media website (e.g. Facebook, MySpace) than on a commercial supplier/intermediary website. Recommendations are made for marketers in the context of promoting post-purchase behaviour, e.g. in terms of the timing and content, and offers conclusions that support further examination of this phenomenon.