Gratifications of Travel Photo Sharing (gtps) on Social Media: Scale Development and Cross-cultural Validation

Abstract

Sharing photos on social media has become a vital tourist behavior during a journey. However, gratifications behind such sharing in tourists' minds is not yet fully clarified in tourism literature. Therefore, based on uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, this study develops and validates a scale measuring gratifications of travel photo sharing (GTPS) on social media. In Study 1, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis with responses from 200 tourists (47.50% individualistic culture and 52.50% collectivistic culture). In Study 2, we implemented confirmatory factor analysis with responses from 300 tourists (100% collectivistic culture). In Study 3, using samples from 200 tourists (50% individualistic culture and 50% collectivistic culture), we examined the relationships between GTPS dimensions and mobile phone involvement. Finally, we developed a 13-item GTPS with four dimensions: social attraction, mental accomplishment, self-disclosure, and habitual pastime.