Abstract
With the increasing mobility and the emergence of social information and communication technologies, the tourist has turned into a connected consumer. In using the range of technologies available, tourists are now able to connect with their social circles to engage, share and co-create their tourist experiences online. While the significance of co-creation has been widely recognised, there is a major gap in understanding on what levels technology-facilitated co-creation can occur. This paper therefore aims to uncover the dimensions of social connectedness and develop a differentiated knowledge of how exactly tourists co-create through ICTs. The findings reveal six distinct dimensions that can be positioned on a social intensity continuum, ranging from disconnection to social co-living of the experience. In revealing social connectedness to everyday life and the home environment, this study highlights key implications for the existing theoretical understanding of tourist experience portrayed as a reversal from of the everyday life. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnould, E. J., Price, L. L., & Malshe, A. (2006). Toward a cultural resource-based theory of the customer. In R. F. Lusch & S. L. Vargo (Eds.), The service-dominant logic of marketing: Dialog, debate and directions (pp. 320–333). Armonk, New York: ME Sharpe.
Binkhorst, E., & Den Dekker, T. (2009). Agenda for co-creation tourism experience research. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 18(2/3), 311–327.
Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Chathoth, P., Altinay, L., Harrington, R. J., Okumus, F., & Chan, E. S. (2013). Co-production versus co-creation: A process based continuum in the hotel service context. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 32, 11–20.
Cohen, E. (1979). A phenomenology of tourist experiences. Sociology, 13(2), 179–201.
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc.
Egger, R., & Buhalis, D. (2008). eTourism case studies: Management and marketing issues. Burlington: Elsevier Ltd.
Fotis, J., Buhalis, D., & Rossides, N. (2011). Social media impact on holiday travel planning: The case of the Russian and the FSU markets. International Journal of Online Marketing, 1(4), 1–19.
Green, N. (2002). On the move: Technology, mobility, and the mediation of social time and space. The Information Society, 18(4), 281–292.
Gretzel, U., & Jamal, T. (2009). Conceptualizing the creative tourist class: Technology, mobility, and tourism experiences. Tourism Analysis, 14(4), 471–481.
Grönroos, C. (2008). Service logic revised: Who creates value? And who co-creates? European Business Review, 20(4), 298–314.
Heinonen, K., Strandvik, T., & Voima, P. (2013). Customer dominant value formation in service. European Business Review, 25(2), 104–123.
Helkkula, A., Kelleher, C., & Pihlström, M. (2012). Characterizing value as an experience. Journal of Service Research, 15(1), 59–75.
Holloway, I., & Brown, L. (2012). Essentials of a qualitative doctorate. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press Inc.
Kim, J., & Tussyadiah, I. P. (2013). Social networking and social support in tourism experience: The moderating role of online self-presentation strategies. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(1), 78–92.
Larsen, S. (2007). Aspects of a psychology of the tourist experience. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 7(1), 7–18.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Neuhofer, B., Buhalis, D., & Ladkin, A. (2012). Conceptualising technology enhanced destination experiences. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 1(1–2), 36–46.
Neuhofer, B., Buhalis, D., & Ladkin, A. (2013). High tech for high touch experiences: A case study from the hospitality industry. In L. Cantoni & Z. Xiang (Eds.), Information and communication technologies in tourism 2012 (pp. 290–301). Austria: Springer.
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). Co-creation experiences: The next practice in value creation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(3), 5–14.
Ramaswamy, V. (2009). Co-creation of value—towards an expanded paradigm of value creation. Marketing Review St. Gallen, 26(6), 11–17.
Ramaswamy, V., & Gouillart, F. (2008). Co-creating strategy with experience co-creation. Balanced Scorecard Report, 1–3.
Ritzer, G., & Jurgenson, N. (2010). Production, consumption prosumption. Journal of Consumer Culture, 10(1), 13–36.
Robson, C. (1993). Real world research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner researchers. Oxford: Blackwell.
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2004). Qualitative interviewing the art of hearing data. London: Sage.
Sigala, M. (2009). E-service quality and Web 2.0: Expanding quality models to include customer participation and inter-customer support. The Service Industries Journal, 29(10), 1341–1358.
Tussyadiah, I. P., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2009). Mediating the tourist experiences access to places via shared videos. Annals of Tourism Research, 36(1), 24–40.
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68, 1–17.
Wang, Y., Yu, Q., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2002). Defining the virtual tourist community: Implications for tourism marketing. Tourism Management, 23(4), 407–417.
Wang, D., Park, S., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2012). The role of smart phones in mediating the touristic experience. Journal of Travel Research, 51(4), 371–387.
Wang, D., Park, S., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2013). Transforming the travel experience: The use of smartphones for travel. In L. Cantoni & Z. Xiang (Eds.), Information and communication Technologies in tourism 2012 (pp. 58–69). Austria: Springer.
Xiang, Z., & Gretzel, U. (2010). Role of social media in online travel information search. Tourism Management, 31(2), 179–188.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Neuhofer, B., Buhalis, D., Ladkin, A. (2013). Co-creation Through Technology: Dimensions of Social Connectedness. In: Xiang, Z., Tussyadiah, I. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2014. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03973-2_25
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03973-2_25
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-03972-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-03973-2
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsBusiness and Management (R0)