Social contagion of online and offline deviant behaviors and its value outcomes: The case of tourism ecosystems

Abstract

Using tourism as an illustrative case, this conceptual article contributes to deviant behavior literature by considering the interrelationships between online and offline deviant behaviors and their contagion to other actors. Drawing from institutional theory, we argue an actor's behavior is deviant if others view it as violating the law, social norms, organizational policies, and/or disrupting functional experiences. We conceptualize, via propositions, how an actor's online (offline) deviant behavior may generate further actors' offline (online) deviant behaviors through social contagion and how such aggregated behaviors may cause behavioral adaptations among other actors. We contribute to value co-creation/co-destruction literature by considering the impact of deviant behaviors at an ecosystemic level. Contagious behaviors and further behavioral adaptations may cause value co-creation and value co-destruction, since actors may not share the same institutional arrangements affecting value perceptions. We provide a more nuanced, dynamic appraisal of value outcomes than the ‘either/or’ value co-creation/value co-destruction dichotomy.