Factors influencing Generation Y’s tourism-related social media activity: the case of Polish students

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify the factors which affect Generation Y’s activity in social media (SM) while traveling. It draws on and extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) and social influence theory. It examines the effects of social influence processes (compliance, identification and internalization), perceived enjoyment (PE), perceived risk, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on tourism-related SM activity.

Design/methodology/approach

The study tested the model with a sample of 420 Polish Y’s who had traveled in the preceding 12 months and used SM. The verification of the hypotheses and the analysis of relationships between the variables were performed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

Out of the four variables of the TAM, only PE has significantly and directly affected Ys’ tourism-related activity in SM. From among the three processes of social influence, only internalization has had a significant impact on the enjoyment of SM use and, consequently, on the SM activity of Generation Y.

Research limitations/implications

This study covered only Polish Y’s. In the future, the formulated hypotheses should be verified in other generational cohorts, in sub-cohorts of Y’s and in other cultural contexts. Furthermore, limitations include lack of randomization of the survey distribution.

Practical implications

The presented results show a generational portrait of an increasingly important consumer group on the tourism market in relation to factors affecting their tourism-related activity in SM.

Originality/value

This is one of few studies (the first in the Central and Eastern Europe context) to examine Generation Y’s adoption of SM in tourism-related activity drawing on and extending the TAM and processes of social influence.

摘要

论影响Generation Y旅游相关社交媒体活动的因子：荷兰学生案例

研究目的

本论文旨在指出 Generation Y在旅游中的社交媒体（SM）活动的影响因子。本论文以 TAM 和社会影响理论为基础, 检验了社会影响过程（从众、自我认知、内部联合）、乐趣感知、风险感知、容易使用感知、以及有用感知对旅游相关SM活动的影响。

研究设计/方法/途径

本论文样本为420名在过去12个月中旅游并使用SM的荷兰 Generation Y。本论文分析方法为PLS-SEM以验证假设模型。

研究结果

在TAM四个变量中, 只有乐趣感知对Generation Y旅游相关SM活动有着重大直接影响。在社会影响三个过程变量中, 只有内部联合变量对SM使用的娱乐性有着显著影响, 因而, 对Generation Y的SM活动有显著影响。

研究研究限制/意义

本论文的样本局限于荷兰 Generation Y。在未来的研究中, 本论文建立的假设关系可以在其他Generation的人群中进行验证, 在Ys的小分支人群, 以及其他文化背景。此外, 样本搜集未采用随机分派。

研究实际意义

研究结果展示了旅游市场上关于旅游相关SM活动的重要人群特点。

研究原创性/价值

本论文是少数（CEE背景下首篇）研究Generation Y使用SM旅游相关活动, 以TAM和社会影响过程理论为基础。

Citation

Kowalczyk-Anioł, J. and Nowacki, M. (2020), "Factors influencing Generation Y’s tourism-related social media activity: the case of Polish students", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 543-558. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-03-2019-0049