{"id":99,"date":"2019-05-03T15:13:16","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T07:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/?p=99"},"modified":"2019-05-03T15:13:16","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T07:13:16","slug":"under-the-influence-social-media-influencers-and-their-role-in-impacting-millennials-travel-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/2019\/05\/03\/under-the-influence-social-media-influencers-and-their-role-in-impacting-millennials-travel-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Under the influence: Social media influencers and their role in impacting millennials travel decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\npaper argues that social media platforms such as Instagram allow travel influencers\nto impact millennials travel decisions. Social media influencers play an important\nand growing role in the consumer decision making process. The wealth of social\nmedia influencers relies on the loyalty of their audience and with whom they\nconnect with. This paper will explore how social media platforms such as\nInstagram facilitate interactions between travel influencers and millennials\nwhich can impact travel decisions. One of Instagram\u2019s most popular travel\ninfluencers with a large following and who often engages in the Instagram\ncommunity is Murad Osmann. With the use of this influencer as an example, this\npaper discusses how Instagram can facilitate positive interactions between\ntravel influencers and millennials and how these interactions can impact\nmillennials travel decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keywords:<\/em>\nSocial Media, Influencer, Instagram, Travel Decisions, Millennials<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social\nnetworking sites have facilitated new ways for audiences to connect with one\nanother more directly and organically. In particular, the use and popularity of\nInstagram has increased rapidly largely among millennials. Instagram permits\nusers to share images and photos with others in both a public or private way,\nand allows other users to view, like and comment on these posts (Casalo,\nFlavian & Ibanez-Sanchez, 2016). Due to the increasing popularity, Instagram\ninfluencers are on the rise. Influencers represent\n\u201ca new type of independent third-party endorser who shapes audience attitudes\nthrough blogs, tweets, and the use of other social media\u201d (Freberg, Graham\n& McGaughey, as cited in Magno and Cassia, 2018, p. 288). Glucksman\n(2017) contends that Instagram influencers are impacting consumer decision\nmaking by promoting relevant and relatable content and capturing the attention\nof consumers. Through creating strong ties with their audience, influencers have undoubtedly influenced the tourism industry and impact travel\ndecisions amongst millennials. This paper will explore how these strong ties\nare formed between influencers and their followers and how they impact\nmillennials travel decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millennials, Instagram and Tourism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram\nis a social networking site that permits users to share images and videos with\ntheir followers and allows other users to view, comment and like these posts. One\ngroup adopting Instagram for travel related purposes and motivations are the\nmillennial generation, those of who were born between 1980 and 1996. Instagram\u2019s\nincreasing relevance has facilitated a greater number of interactions between\nmillennials, influencers and brands compared to other social networking sites.\nAs millennials are the generation of digital\nnatives where connecting to others is extremely important, staying connected\nthrough Instagram is vitally important to many individuals. According to a\nrecent study conducted by Schofields among millennial travellers between 18 and\n33, more than 40 percent prioritized how \u2018Instagrammable\u2019 the holiday will be (Arnold,\n2018). The Instagrammability of a particular travel location was more important\nto participants than other factors such as cost, availability of alcohol, sightseeing\nopportunities and local cuisine (Arnold, 2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For millennials, Instagram is mainly used for entertainment, information\nand leisure purposes. Instagram has crated a great amount of opportunity for\ntravellers and the tourism industry as it is one of the biggest influencers of\ntravel motivations and purchase decisions. Although\nthere are many factors which influence the desire to travel, in recent years,\nthe rise and power of Instagram influencers have contributed to the decision\nmaking process. One of the most popular Instagram travel influencers among\nmillennials is Murad Osmann. Murad is an avid traveler who utilizes the vital\npower of Instagram through hashtags, geotagging and Instagram stories to\npromote his images and videos. Influences such as Murad Osmann create a strong\nlevel of attraction and desire for consumers who want to travel to \u2018be like\nhim\u2019 as opposed to travelling for the destination itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating strong ties between\ninfluencer and followers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With\nthe assistance of social media, influencers have succeeded in gaining the trust\nof their audience. Individuals are more likely to purchase products recommended\nby influencers as they are able to relate to them more than celebrities or\nbrands, and therefore, individuals find influencers almost as trustworthy as\ntheir family or friends (Millionmetrics, 2017). Christou (2015 as cited in\nChatzigeorgiou, 2017, p. 25) contends that people who act as Instagram\ninfluencers are trusted due to their predictability, reputation and competence.\nBy enabling a platform for ordinary people to become influencers as opposed to\nsomeone who already has a strong public image, they maximize prominence and\nrecognition thus building a more loyal community of users and supporters\n(Khamis, Ang & Welling, 2016). In a recent study conducted by Defy Media, millennials\ndescribed Instagram Influencers as \u201cjust like\nme, understands me, someone I trust has the best advice, genuine and someone I\nfeel close to\u201d (2017, cited in Millionmetrics, 2017). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nstudy conducted by Magno and Cassia (2018) found that the intentions of a\nfollower to adopt the travel suggestions offered by a travel influencer\nsignificantly depended on the perception of the influencers trustworthiness. Murad\nOsmann, named one of the top three travel influencers in the world by Forbes,\nhas created a strong community through Instagram. Murad had over four million\nInstagram followers and become influential in 2011 by accident after posting an\nimage to Instagram of his girlfriend leading him by the hand through the\nstreets of Barcelona. From there, the #FollowMeTo project began, creating an\nexperience for Instagram users to follow Murad and his girlfriend all around\nthe world through images and videos posted to Instagram using the hashtag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram\ntravel influencers such as Murad often reach a large audience and therefore, it\nis easy for them to create strong ties with a range of different people all in the\nInstagram community. Murad creates and keeps strong ties with his audience by\nengaging with them through Instagram posts by asking questions, replying to\ncomments asked by his followers and posting Instagram stories daily. These\nstrong ties are created within the Instagram community due to the effect\ninfluencers like Murad have on their followers. This includes the ability to\ninfluence followers travel decisions through images and videos of specific\ndestinations promoted by the influencer. This is because Instagram influencers\nare perceived as \u201ca trusted tastemaker in one or several niches\u201d (Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017, p. 798).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For travel influencers like Murad, a high number of Instagram followers\nreflects network size and thus serves as a sign of popularity (Veirman,\nCauberghe, & Hudders, 2017). Instagram Influencers who obtain a large\nfollowing are perceived as trusted, therefore followers feel that if other individuals\nof the same demographic follow, trust and respect the information that a\nparticular influencer is putting forward, it is then acceptable for them to do\nso too (Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017). A higher number of followers also\nresults in a larger reach within the Instagram community and a higher value as\nan opinion leader. Therefore, the strong ties formed between an Instagram influencer\nand their followers also allow influencers to have some form of power and effect\nover their followers which can impact their decision making process. For an\ninfluencer to successfully impact the decision making process of a follower, a\nstrong tie within the community has been formed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impacting Millennials Travel\nDecisions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millennials are faced with a wide range of available sources to find\ninformation that can impact their travel decision making process. Social media\nhas made it possible to quickly and conveniently obtain large amounts of\ninformation in a short period of time. However, the abundance and variety of\navailable information also makes it challenging for consumers to judge its\nvalue and credibility (Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017). The ties\ncreated between Instagram influencers and the audience play a vital part in\nthis decision making process and determining what or who is a credible source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram influencers are perceived as significant opinion leaders as\nthey are easily able to increase the influence of the information they obtain\nand broadcast to others. At the moment, they serve as a principal discovery\ntool for millennials when deciding on travel factors like places to visit,\nwhere to stay, and sights to see. It is evident as a survey by Chase Card\nServices contended that 44 percent of millennial travellers searched for\nopinions and recommendations on Instagram while researching about a planned\ntrip (Millionmetrics, 2017). Millennials see Instagram\ntravel influencers and their suggestions as more authentic and reliable than\ncommercial travel guides. As Arnold (2017) claims, the millennial generation is\nrecognized for trusting peers over celebrity\u2019s and brands, and thus they are\nmore open to accept opinions and recommendations from social media influencers\nwho they can relate to or admire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bennett\n(2014, p. 25, as cited in Chatzigeorgiou) contends that 74% of consumers made\npurchasing decisions based on social media. Millennials take lead as the\ngeneration with the most purchasing power and the most active on social media. Content posted on Instagram by travel influencers, also referred to as\nuser generated content, has proven to be more popular and effective than\nprofessional advertisements due to their capability to influence travel\ndecisions (Lipizzi et al., 2015 as cited in Sokolova & Kefi, 2019, p. 1). A\nstudy conducted by Magno and Cassia (2018), documented that the rising\nrelevance of Instagram influencers impact the formation of their audience\u2019s\ndecisions and attitudes towards tourism. As Influencers are able to share\nimages, videos and the story of their journey with others on the internet, they\nreceive admiration from their work and thus inspire people to book a similar\ntrip for similar experiences (Millionmetrics, 2017). This is evident through\nthe words of Murad Osman himself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are sharing with you our\nstories about some of the world\u2019s most unknown and unrecognizable landmarks and\nshowing you how a travel to a destination you always dreamt about could become\na reality. And it doesn\u2019t matter what language you speak, or how much you earn.\nYou could literally \u2018get inside our heads\u2019 and find out all we think about\ndifferent countries, airlines, hotels, how to pack your suitcase, and other\nlittle things, which when summed up create a whole big picture of a great\njourney (Follow Me To, n.d.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ntravel content posted to Instagram by travel influencers often inspires others\nand gives them a sense of wanting to experience the same destinations and\nexperiences that they see their fellow influencers experiencing. As Instagram\nInfluencers are also often sharing their lives with the world, millennials are\nconstantly surrounded by an array of dynamic images, videos and information\nthat continues to emerge and evolve, and therefore can strongly impact their decision\nmaking process. Millennials are the generation who frequently identify with\ninfluencers and borrow some aspect of their lifestyle to be like them, thus\ninfluencers are able to impact travel decisions because they are adopted by\ntheir audience who admire them (Sokolova & Kefi, 2019). For a millennial to\nsee an Instagram influencer with a large following, strong audience ties and\ninteractive posts, individuals perceive this influencer as trusted and\nreliable. Therefore, millennials feel as if they share similar values and\nattitudes and are able to relate strongly to the influencer (Sokolova &\nKefi, 2019). Instagram influencers who effectively create strong ties and a\nsense of community with their audience are able to impact millennials travel\ndecision making process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\npaper has discussed travel influencers and their ability to create strong ties through\npositive interactions with their followers on Instagram. Through these positive\ninteractions, travel influencers are then able to influence the travel decision\nmaking process for millennials. The emergence of social networking sites has\nalso facilitated the emergence of social media influencers. Instagram\ninfluencers are playing a vital role in impacting the decision making process\nthroughout the millennial generation, more specifically travel decisions.\nInstagram influencers significantly impact social ties within the Instagram\ncommunity by creating strong ties between themselves and their followers. To\nsuccessfully influence the decision making process, travel influencers must\nretain a trustworthy and respectful relationship with their audience to\nstrengthen the ties between themselves and their followers. Through the use of\na well know Instagram travel influencer, Murad Osmann, throughout this paper\nfor reference, it is evident that travel influencers have the ability to impact\nmillennials travel decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnold, A.\n(2018). Here’s How Much Instagram\nLikes Influence Millennials’ Choice Of Travel Destinations. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/andrewarnold\/2018\/01\/24\/heres-how-much-instagram-likes-influence-millennials-choice-of-travel-destinations\/#1d93402c4eba<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casalo, L. V., Flavian, C., & Ibanez-Sanchez,\nS. (2017). Antecedents of consumer intention to follow and recommend an\nInstagram account. Online Information\nReview; Bradford, 41(7),<\/em> 1046-1063. Retrieved from https:\/\/search-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/docview\/1960510356?accountid=10382<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chatzigeorgiou, C. (2017). Modelling the impact of\nsocial media influencers on behavioural intentions of millennials: The case of\ntourism in rural areas in Greece. Journal\nof Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 3(2<\/em>), 25-29. Retrieved from https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5281\/zenodo.1209125<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow Me To.\n(n.d.). About. Retrieved from https:\/\/followmeto.travel\/about<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glucksman, M.\n(2017). The Rise of Social Media Influencer Marketing on\nLifestyle Branding: A Case Study of Lucie Fink. Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 8(2),<\/em>\n77-87. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.elon.edu\/u\/academics\/communications\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/153\/2017\/12\/08_Lifestyle_Branding_Glucksman.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khamis,\nS., Ang, L., & Welling, R. (2016). Self-branding, \u2018micro-celebrity\u2019 and the\nrise of Social Media Influencers. Celebrity Studies, 8(2), 191-208. https:\/\/doi-org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/10.1080\/19392397.2016.1218292<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magno, C., &\nCassia, F. (2018). The Impact of Social Media Influencers in Tourism. An International Journal of Tourism and\nHospitality Research, 29,<\/em> 288-290. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/13032917.2018.1476981<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millionmetrics.\n(2017). The Power of Social Influencers in Destination Marketing. Retrieved\nfrom https:\/\/www.millionmetrics.com\/influencers-destination-marketing\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sokolova, K., &Kefi, H. (2019). Instagram and\nYouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial\ninteraction influence purchase intentions. Journal\nof Retailing and Customer Services. <\/em>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jretconser.2019.01.011<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veiman, M. D., Cauberghe, V., & Hudders, L. (2017). Marketing through Instagram influencers: the impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. International Journal of Advertising, 36(5),<\/em> 798-828. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/02650487.2017.1348035<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Creative<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Abstract This paper argues that social media platforms such as Instagram allow travel influencers to impact millennials travel decisions. Social media influencers play an important and growing role in the consumer decision making process. The wealth of social media influencers relies on the loyalty of their audience and with whom they connect with. This paper… Continue reading Under the influence: Social media influencers and their role in impacting millennials travel decisions<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[24,28,44,42,43],"class_list":["post-99","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social","tag-influencers","tag-instagram","tag-millennials","tag-social-networks","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions\/101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}