社交媒體對於消費著行為的旅遊規劃影響：針對台灣的國際學生的研究 - 政大學術集成

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(1)Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. 社交媒體對於消費著行為的旅遊規劃影響：針對台灣的國際學生的研究 The Impact of Social Media on Consumer Behavior towards travel planning: A study focused on International Students in Taiwan. Student: Sebastian Ricardo Cabrera Leon Advisor: Prof. Kuo Cheng 郭貞. 國立政治大學國際傳播英語碩士學程. 學. ‧ 國. 立. 政治大. Nat. sit. y. ‧. 碩士論文. er. io. A Thesis. n. Submitted toaInternational Master’s Program i v in International l. n U e n g c h i Studies Communication. Ch. National Chengchi University In partial fulfillment of the Requirement For the degree of Master in International Communication Studies. 中華民國 103 年 1 月 January, 2014.

(2) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(3) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Chapter 1: Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….3 1.1 Research Background ………………………………………………………..........4 1.2 Rationale ………………………………………………………………………….5 1.3 Significance of the Study ………………………………………………….……...6 1.4 Research Questions ……………………………………………………….………7. Chapter 2: Literature Review …………………………………………………………………8 2.1 Web 2.0 …………………………………………………………………………...8 2.2 Online Word-of-Mouth (WOM) ……………………………………………..…...9. 治政大 2.4 Social Media and Consumer Decision Process ………………………………….15 立 2.5 Social Media and Travel ………………………....……………………………...18. 2.3 Social Media ……………………………………………………………………..11. ‧ 國. 學. 2.6 Consumer Travel Purchase ……………………...………………………………20 2.7 Credibility ……....…...…………………………………………………………...21. ‧. Chapter 3: Methodology……………………………...…………………………………........25. y. Nat. sit. 3.1 Research Framework……………………………………………………………..25. al. er. io. 3.2 Research Method…………………………………………………………………25. n. 3.3 Research Variables……………………………………………………………….27. Ch. i n U. v. 3.3.1 Trustworthiness ….…………………………………………………….27. engchi. 3.3.2 Usefulness ……………………………………………………………..28 3.3.3 Control variable ………………………………………………………..29 3.3.4 Social media affect travel plan decision …………………………….....29 3.3.5 Other single indicator variables ……………………………………….30 3.4 Hypothesis………………………………………………………………………..31. Chapter 4: Analysis of the Results …………………………………………………………..32 4.1 Descriptive Analysis ….…………………………………………………………32 4.1.1 Sample Structure ………………………………………………………32 4.1.2 Social media description ………………………………………………36 4.1.3 Stages of travel ……………………………………………………… ..39 4.2 Test of the Hypotheses………………………………...…………………………43.

(4) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Chapter 5: Conclusion and discussion ……………………………….……………………...48 5.1 Discussion ……………………………………………………………………….50 5.2 Limitations ………………………………………………………………………53. References …………………………………………………………………………………...54. Appendix (Questionnaire) …………………………………………………………………...60. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(5) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. List of Tables and Figures Figure 1.1 Time spent in different media per week …………………………………………..5 Figure 2.1 Social network site use by age group 2005 – 2012 …………………………........13 Figure 2.2 Trustworthiness on information sources …………………………………………22 Figure 3.1 Research framework for the study ……………………………………………….25 Table 3.2 Scale indicators and reliability for ‘trustworthiness’ variable ……………………28 Table 3.3 Scale indicators and reliability for ‘usefulness’ variable …...…………………….29 Table 3.4 Scale indicators and reliability for ‘affect travel plans’ variable …………………30 Table 4.1 Demographic information …………………………………………………….…..32 Table 4.2 Trustworthiness differences on social media by age …………………….………..33. 政治大 Figure 4.4 Social media websites 立used before the trip ………………………………………38. Figure 4.3 Use of Internet when planning a trip ……………………………………………..35. ‧ 國. 學. Figure 4.5 Social media websites used during the trip ………………………………………39 Figure 4.6 Social media websites used after the trip ………………………………………...40 Figure 4.7 Purposes for using social media regarding travel planning ……………………...41. ‧. Table 4.8 Recommend use of social media ……………………………………………….....42. y. Nat. Table 4.9 Share travel experiences ………………………………………………………......44. io. sit. Table 4.10 Trustworthiness on social media affects travel decision …………………….......45. al. er. Table 4.11 Change in travel plans as a result of negative comments …………..…………....45. n. v i n C h results …..……………………………………….50 Table 5.1 Summary of Hypothesis testing engchi U. Table 4.12 Change in travel plans as a result of positive comments ………………………...46.

(6) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Acknowledgements. First of all I would like to give my deepest thanks to the government of Taiwan for awarding me a scholarship and the opportunity to get a Master’s degree. These past two years living in Taiwan have provided me with a broader sight of the world and has also allowed me to achieve my academic and professional goals. Thanks to my advisor, Professor Cheng Kuo, who had the patience to help me. 政治大 knowledge, advices and insights. Thanks as well to Professor Shih and Professor JennJia for 立 throughout the whole process of writing this thesis. I couldn’t have done it without her. ‧ 國. comments and thoughts on my thesis in order to improve it.. 學. accepting my request of being part of my evaluation committee and giving me their. ‧. To my classmates and friends (especially the ‘Tanga Clan’): without you my life in. sit. y. Nat. Taiwan wouldn’t have been the same. You helped me to overcome daily obstacles and taught. io. al. er. me many things both in academic and personal life. Also thanks to Jeremiah Bell, for helping. v i n C to my mother, AnaULeon: without your constant To my family, and particularly h engchi n. me revise and proofread my thesis. Thank you for your love Jieun.. support I could have never endured living abroad for this period. You helped me in making decisions that were hard to make. You are the reason I am here now and I owe you too much. Making you proud of me is one of my life goals. I would also like to dedicate this thesis to my dog, Pilaf, who passed away earlier this year while I was in Taiwan. He was more than a dog to me, he was my best friend for the past 15 years, and was always there, whether I was feeling happy or sad. We will run together again..

(7) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. ABSTRACT. Social media refers to a group of Internet-based applications where people interact by creating, sharing and exchanging information and ideas in virtual communities or networks, allowing the creation and exchange of user-generated content. Social media are also consumer opinion platforms, enabling users to share their experiences with other people through online word of mouth. Online reviews regarding travel experiences written by people. 治政大will investigate the perceived as an information source for people planning a trip. The study 立. that have previously been to specific places and tourists spots are increasing in their relevance. trustworthiness of social media, their usefulness from a user satisfaction perspective, and the. ‧ 國. 學. influence of the information shared by other people on the consumer behavior and decision-. ‧. making process towards travel planning.. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. n. Keywords: social media, consumer behavior, online word of mouth, tourism.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 2.

(8) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. The development of the Internet brought several changes in our lives. Among them, our way of interacting with others and gathering information significantly changed and continues to do so. However, it was not until recently that a new approach towards how people interact and share information came to light: social media. After the evolution from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 (with richer methods of user interaction, new technologies, and. 治政大 users for being both a many others started gaining more popularity among the Internet 立. fundamentally different philosophy), websites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and. platform on which innovative technologies have been built and a space where users are. ‧ 國. 學. treated as first class objects (Cormode, 2008). These new platforms allowed the users to share. ‧. contents directly and in real time, making it the new avenue for social interaction.. sit. y. Nat. Nowadays, the power and impact of social media is reaching new horizons, and one. io. al. er. of the industries that are getting closer to social media is tourism. Specifically, travel related decisions are being influenced more than ever by social media contents, and online travel. n. v i n C hof information (Gretzel, reviews are becoming popular sources e n g c h i U 2011). It is also changing the way consumers gather information and make use of it. This paper will focus in how social media affects consumer behavior towards travel planning in its different stages and levels of trustworthiness and usefulness. The researcher chose international students living in Taiwan as the target for the study in order to obtain a wider diversity of opinions from people with different cultural backgrounds. The target was also chosen due to the fact that these people are more frequent travelers than local students (they had to travel from their home countries to Taiwan in the first place).. 3.

(9) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. 1.1 Research Background The travel and tourism industry is greatly influenced by word-of-mouth opinions and feedback regarding travelling experiences. Hence, the Internet is the perfect platform to find this information more conveniently. Social media has the power to affect advertising attitudes, brand attitudes, and purchasing intentions of consumers (Taining, 2012), therefore, they also hold the potential to influence travel plans and to motivate others to travel by looking at pictures, watching videos or reading posts that may entice the willingness to pack up and go around the world. Research in social media influence on this topic is scarce. The information. 治政大help in future research. present study fills in this gap and will provide results that can 立. that can be found is too shallow to make valid asseverations or to be used as a reference. The. According to a report made by global advertising agency network McCann (2010),. ‧ 國. 學. there are currently more than 1.5 billion users visiting social media websites per day: “Social. ‧. media is a very fast-evolving landscape and one that is taking an increasingly important role. sit. y. Nat. in consumers’ digital lives. Brands that want to engage with consumers in these spaces need. io. al. content creation and sharing.” (p.21). er. to understand how, where and why they are using the many different platforms that enable. n. v i n C h requirements U The new social web makes different e n g c h i on both consumers and advertisers.. Consumers are not merely finding information, they are contributing by writing, uploading pictures, videos, creating regular status updates and live-streaming their everyday lives. But it’s not just a rise in the number of people joining social networks; people are using social media for a broader range of activities. In fact, in 2009 they were using them for 6.4 activities (such as sharing videos, organizing groups and events, sharing photos, dating, messaging friends, find old and new friends, updating their profile, etc.) and in 2010 this rose to 8 (McCann, 2010).. 4.

(10) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Most research regarding social media are related to how people interact with others and how they make use of them. However, just in the past few years, researchers have changed their aim towards marketing and consumer behavior, analyzing the influence of information found in social media and how it affects the decision-making processes. Regarding the particular topic of influence on travel-related decisions, there are few studies that address it, usually just mentioning the fact that there are more websites dedicated to the travel industry. Therefore, there is a gap in information that needs to be filled: how social media influence the consumer behavior in travel related decisions? In what way are social. 治政大 their experiences with others trustworthiness and usefulness? And what makes people share 立 media being used for this purpose? How is social media perceived regarding levels of. online?. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. 1.2 Rationale. sit. y. Nat. Virtual communities have become more important networks of consumer knowledge. io. er. that influence consumer behavior (De Valck, 2009). Social media is enjoying an. al. extraordinary rise in popularity among the Internet users: Facebook monthly active users. n. v i n C h(Facebook, 2012);UYouTube users view an average of reached more than 1 billion worldwide engchi 4 billion videos per day (YouTube, 2012); and there are over 45 million trip reviews on TripAdvisor (TripAdvisor, 2011). Social Media. 8. Email. 7. Internet. 13. Newspapers Magazines Radio Television. Hours per week. 5 4 6 10. Figure 1.1: Time spent in different media per week, Source: McCann (2010) 5.

(11) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Consumers are contributing in the creation of the information found online, they are sharing their lives and experiences, and they are using that information not only to socialize, but also to improve future experiences (Akehurst, 2009). All of these facts add up to the relevance of social media in today’s world. With its influence, the consumers’ behavior is experiencing a change towards a more active participation regarding the sharing of information with others in order to make better decisions that will improve different life experiences, among them, travelling (Cox, 2009).. 治政大 to consumers as they Social media are becoming more important and influential 立. 1.3 Significance of the Study. change the way they gather and share information, especially travel-related experiences. ‧ 國. 學. (Gretzel, 2011). The importance of the tourism industry can be easily inferred: with export. ‧. earnings in the area of US$ 852 billion in 2009, tourism is among the world’s fastest growing. sit. y. Nat. economic sectors, with a volume that can easily be compared with that of oil, food products,. io. al. er. or automobiles (UNWTO, 2011). Also, consumer behavior in tourism has always been influenced by advancements in information communication technologies (Buhalis, 1998).. n. v i n Previous research has shownCthe hinfluence i Umedia on consumer behavior and e n g cofhsocial. purchasing decision, however, the particular case of how travel planning is influenced by social media has not been investigated properly. This paper will investigate the role of social media on the travel planning process to fill this research gap by providing insights into usage levels, trustworthiness and levels of influence. The research also aims to understand the changing patterns of travel-related information gathering, sharing of experiences and decision making processes that influence the users.. 6.

(12) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. 1.4 Research Questions As it was mentioned, there is a lack of information regarding the relation between users and travel-related information found in social media. The main objective of this research is to understand how consumers make use of social media with regard to travel planning; in particular, how much they trust and make use of others’ previous experiences to help them in their decision making processes. Therefore, this study will contribute in filling that gap and also to become a referent for future research. The particular questions that this study will attempt to answer are:. 1.. 治政大 of its users? What makes them To what extent do social media influence the decisions 立 share their own experiences on social media?. ‧ 國. 學. 2. Which social media are used by them throughout the travel cycle? (before, during and. ‧. after the trip takes place). y. sit. io. al. er. process?. Nat. 3. For what purpose do travelers use social media in their holiday travel planning. n. 4. What is the perceived level of trustworthiness and usefulness towards information found in social media?. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 7.

(13) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Social media is one of the most recently developed forms of Internet-related communication. There are several terminologies and concepts that must be understood in order to understand the complexity of social media and how it affects consumer behavior. Being a recent topic, research regarding social media and its effects on consumers is currently in a developing stage, with most of the literature focusing on specific targets or industries still undergo or being published at the same time as this study.. 立. 2.1 Web 2.0. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. The term ‘Web 2.0’ refers to a new version of the World Wide Web, though it does not refer to an update of any technical specifications. It is rather a change in the ways. ‧. software developers and netizens use the web. The main characteristic of Web 2.0 is that it. y. Nat. sit. allows users to interact and collaborate with each other, creating user-generated content, in. n. al. er. io. contrast with websites where users were limited to a passive stance of receiving information.. i n U. v. Web 2.0 websites allow users to provide and retrieve information that and exercise. Ch. engchi. some control over it. By increasing what was already possible in Web 1.0, they provide the user with more user-interface, software and storage facilities, all through their browser (O’Reilly, 2005). Major features of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, user created websites, self-publishing platforms, tagging, and social bookmarking. The increased availability of information has changed the common consumer into a researcher (according to a research made in 2011 by internet Analytics Company ComScore, nearly 1 in 5 minutes online is spent on social networks). Before making a purchase, the consumer can log on to a social media network and see what other people think about products and how customer service is handled. Web 2.0 allowed communication to go both 8.

(14) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. ways, creating interactivity between businesses and customers, affecting consumer behavior in ways never seen before. User-generated content is one of the biggest online developments, reshaping traditional marketing methods of tourism businesses. According to Tourism Australia (2007), the traditional method of word of mouth marketing is radically changing. The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies has played a large role in altering how consumers relate their feedback of a product or experience. Within the context of the tourism industry, this can be achieved by photo sharing, travel blogs, travel reviews and video sharing. User-generated content is. 治政大co-exist with the trend of userof marketing where content was created by the marketer now 立 used to explain the role that consumers now have in creating information. Traditional forms. generated content where content is generated by the consumer. This new form of word-of-. ‧ 國. 學. mouth marketing means that anybody can share their opinion or travel experience with other. ‧. individuals (O’Connor, 2008). sit. y. Nat. The Internet has the ability to influence the consumer once their destination decision. io. al. er. has been made, rather than influencing the choice of a destination (Tourism Australia, 2007). For example, searching for air fares and planning a trip itinerary were the most common. n. v i n C hNot only is the useUof the Internet for travel research activities amongst visitors to Australia. engchi growing, consumer demand for Web 2.0 websites is evident in the popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as the use of review sites such as Trip Advisor.. 2.2 Online Word of Mouth (WOM) Word of Mouth (WOM) has long been an important source of information influencing consumer attitudes and purchase behavior. WOM communication is a key marketing phenomenon that facilitates the sales of a wide range of products. It gives people a good. 9.

(15) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. reason to talk about business and creates a way to make it happen. WOM marketing works well because of attention (Hughes, 2005). As people talk to each other, everyone has chances to get undivided face-to-face attention, which conventional advertising can rarely achieve. Hughes also recognizes that WOM marketing succeeds because of credibility. Throne (2008), explains that WOM is the most honest form of marketing because consumers are sharing their own opinions independent of manipulation. Bronner and de Hoog (2011) go on to say that online WOM may in fact be even more influential given its characteristics of global reach, the speed with which it travels, ease of use, and anonymity, absent of direct face-to-face. 治政大basic idea behind WOM is that most important marketing element that exists. The simple and 立 pressure. Chung (1995) recognized that many marketers view information in WOM to be the. information about products, services, stores companies and so can spread from one consumer. ‧ 國. 學. to another (Brown, 2005).. ‧. With the development of Web 2.0, WOM interactions found the perfect platform to. sit. y. Nat. spread its influence and to become a major influential factor on the consumer’s purchasing. io. al. er. behavior. Consumer-generated media encourages people to create and interact with others, thus, becoming a great channel through which to pass marketing messages. Online WOM is. n. v i n C hin four aspects (Dellarocas, different from its traditional counterpart 2003). The new type of engchi U online WOM appears at an unprecedented large scale, thus creating new opportunities in the market. Second, because of its digital nature, it can be controlled and monitored more precisely than before. Third, though more of a negative trait, the anonymous nature of the user interface allows new problems regarding identity verification, which can lead to false information. Finally, the data or information retrieved may be taken out of context and can include multiple interpretations. Online WOM allows consumers to interact with each other and share their opinions, experiences and research on consumer products and services in online environments (Hennig-. 10.

(16) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Thurau, Gwinner, Walsh & Gremler, 2004). At the same time, social media is rapidly changing online WOM, broadening communication channels and facilitating effective dialogue between marketers and consumers. Online WOM is increasingly manifesting itself through social media as a form of social participation in online environments and has great impact on product judgment, criticism and praise (Evans, 2010). This means that consumers now have the ability to affect other consumer’s final purchase decisions (Brown, 2007).. 2.3 Social Media. 治政大 more and more available, thoughts, comments, and ideas regarding different topics become 立 Thanks to the development of Web 2.0, the possibility of expressing people’s own. which made the creation of social media possible. Social media has been defined as “a group. ‧ 國. 學. of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of. ‧. Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content” (Kaplan &. sit. y. Nat. Haenlein, 2010). It refers to the means of interacting among people in which they create,. io. al. er. share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. In another definition, social media is given a broader role by including not only the media but also the. n. v i n C h communities of U activities, practices and behaviors among e n g c h i people who gather online to share information, knowledge, and opinions using interactional media (Safko & Brake, 2009). Sometimes, the term is used synonymously with social networks; however, websites such as Facebook and their like are but merely major players in a diverse ecosystem (McCann, 2010). There are many different approaches when it comes to define what social media is. Kaplan and Haenlein presented a scheme on 2010 that classified social media according to their level of social presence and of self-presentation. They identified six types of social media: social networking sites (Linkedin, Facebook), content communities (YouTube, Flickr),. 11.

(17) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. virtual social worlds (Second Life), virtual game worlds (World of Warcraft), collaborative projects (Wikipedia), and blogs (Wordpress). To these classifications we can also add microblogging (Twitter), consumer review and rating websites (TripAdvisor) and Internet forums (LetsForum). Despite these classifications, social media as a term should not be associated exclusively with social networking sites. This terminology refers only to online systems enabling users to become members, create a profile, build a personal network connecting them to other users with whom they exchange on a frequent basis skills, talents, knowledge, preferences and other information ( McKinsey, 2007). Given the wide taxonomy. 治政大 that allows and makes sharing approach social media as a group of online software platforms 立. on social media due to the lack of a consensus among communication experts, this paper will. of user-generated content possible.. ‧ 國. 學. Social media has allowed increased situational awareness in terms of a changing. ‧. environment, thus playing an increasingly important role in marketing communication. This. sit. y. Nat. has also created an easily accessible virtual market place that allows marketers to influence. io. al. er. consumers (Mayfield, 2011), and further encourages sharing and commenting on information allowing consumers to make use of links, resources and other people.. n. v i n C hconsumers activeUmembers of the brand communities Social media has therefore made engchi. by giving them the opportunity and freedom to be heard in virtual worlds where perception and first impressions are critical influences (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). According to a research made by Nielsen on 2012, Facebook had nearly 850 million monthly active users, with 250 million photos uploaded every day and 100 billion connections worldwide. There were about 2.7 billion “likes” per day and 57% of users were female. Then there is Twitter, the usefulness of which has been questioned by a not few. Its simplicity is still its main attraction along with its immediacy in breaking news about the latest events. Currently there are over 465 million Twitter accounts with 175 million tweets a day.. 12.

(18) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. As for YouTube, the availability of cost effective high speed Internet access is making it easy for people to upload their own video contents. With 2 billion views per day, it handles 10% of the Internet’s traffic. The average YouTube user spends 900 seconds per day on the website, with 44% of them aged between 12 and 34 years old. Over 829,000 videos are uploaded every day with an average video duration of 2 minutes 46 seconds. Finally we have Instagram, one of the latest social networks that allow the users to take a photo, apply a filter and then share it on Twitter, Facebook and many more social networks straight a user’s cellphone. Instagram reached 1 million users in December 2010 (only 1 month after being. 治政大 April 2012, Instagram reached 30 million users. 立. released). As of August 2011 Instagram users had uploaded 150 million photos, and as of. In Nielsen’s study (2012), regarding the use of social media through mobile devices, it. ‧ 國. 學. is expected that by 2015, 9 out of 10 consumers will have a mobile subscription to some. ‧. tourism-related site or mobile application. 29% of travelers have used mobile apps to find. sit. y. Nat. flight deals; 15% have used one to find hotel deals, another 15% have used it for specifics. io. al. er. regarding upcoming vacations, 85% of travelers use their Smartphone while abroad, 72%. n. post vacation photos on a social network while still on vacation, 46% ‘check-in’ to a location,. Ch. 70% update their Facebook status while on vacation.. engchi. i n U. v. Regarding the demographics of people using social media, a late 2012 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project showed that young adults are more likely than others to use major social media. Internet users under 50 years old are particularly likely to use a social networking site of any kind, and those between the ages of 18 to 29 are the most likely of any demographic section to do so (83%). Also, women are more likely than men to be on these sites. Those living in urban settings are also significantly more likely to use social networking than rural internet users.. 13.

(19) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. 100% 90%. 86% 87% 86%. 80%. 72% 73% 69% 67% 69% 67% 64% 66% 61% 57% 48% 52% 49% 49% 50% 47% 46%. 60% 50% 40% 30%. 10%. 29% 29% 25% 24% 26% 8% 9% 7% 6%. 16% 8% 4% 1%. 34%. 38%. All Interner users 18-29 30-49 50-64. 32%. 65+. 政治大. 11% 13% 7%. 立. feb-05 aug 06 may-08 apr 09 may-10 aug 11 feb-12 aug 12 dec 12. 學. ‧ 國. 0%. 83% 77%. 76%. 70%. 20%. 92%. Figure 2.1: Social Network site use by age group, Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project surveys, 2005 – 2012.. ‧. In another study made by a different market research firm, MicroDialogue (2010),. y. Nat. io. sit. 1,200 U.S. social media users between the ages of 18 and 65 were surveyed. The study. n. al. er. revealed that social media tools now play a key role in keeping consumers connected. Almost. Ch. i n U. v. half (48.7%) felt that online communication was more convenient than face-to-face, 39.9%. engchi. said that online social groups were truly social and a quarter (25.6%) reported that they made no distinction between online and offline interaction. Almost a third (31.5%) said they felt empowered to do things they have been wanting to, while 20% took action against brands and companies. Regarding the trust consumers have toward social media, 92% of consumers say that they trust earned media, such as word-of-mouth (WOM) and recommendations from friends and family, 70% say online consumer reviews are the second most trusted form of advertising, and only 47% of consumers say they trust paid television, magazine and newspaper ads, etc.. 14.

(20) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Consumer-generated content supported through social media is a mixture of fact and opinion, impression and sentiment, founded and unfounded tidbits, experiences, and even rumor (Blackshaw & Nazzaro, 2006). In travel and tourism, past research has focused attention on the socio-psychological aspects of social media use. Not surprisingly, travelrelated virtual communities attracted the attention of tourism researchers early on. Virtual tourist communities, where tourists can exchange opinions and experiences on topics of common interests, have been around at least since the late 1990s, and several researchers have investigated their roles and impacts in the context of decision processes.. 立. 政治大. 2.4 Social media and consumer decision process. ‧ 國. 學. The consumer decision process model represents a road map of consumers’ minds and captures the activities that occur when decisions are made in a schematic format, showing. ‧. how different internal and external forces interact to affect how consumers think, evaluate,. y. Nat. io. sit. and act (Norjaya &Wan Jooria, 2012). As the model shows, consumers typically go through. n. al. er. seven major stages when making decisions: need recognition, search for information, pre-. Ch. i n U. v. purchase evaluation, purchase, consumption, post-consumption evaluation, and divestment.. engchi. However, the Internet has had a major impact on consumer information search behavior. Consumers become active participants instead of receiving messages and stimuli from marketers. Traditional marketing transfer the messages from business to consumers; while the Internet makes the messages transferred from business to consumers. Consumers belong or admire different online groups generally and those groups are able to change their purchasing decisions behavior (Solomon, 2010). According to Evans (2009) joint decision-making is defined as, consumers are taken their decisions within the environment around them such as environment of family, friends, and coworkers. In a traditional way, consumers make their purchase decisions based on information that they 15.

(21) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. received through mass media (e.g. advertising, newspaper, television comment), but nowadays, online social networks can have power to affect consumers’ purchase decision (East, Wright & Vanhuele, 2008). Stelzner (2011) reported that 88% of respondents agreed that social media generated exposure for their businesses, 72% noted that social media increased the flow of traffic onto their social networking sites and 43% correlated social media with increased sales. It is worthy to note that 62% of respondents reported that social media improved search rankings of their products (Stelzner, 2011). Consumers are able to search for the information they need and share their own. 治政大 is one of the reasons why others regarding previous experiences with products or services) 立. experiences about products or services with other consumers. This fact (sharing opinions with. social media influences purchasing decisions. Consumers are also buying based on. ‧ 國. 學. recommendations from social media (Forbes & Vespoli, 2013). 81% of people say that posts. ‧. by their friends on social media influence their purchases (Peneycad, 2013). According to. sit. y. Nat. several information sources, consumers are 71% more likely to purchase based on social. io. al. er. media referrals; out of 53% of consumers who said they use Twitter to recommend companies or products in their Tweets, 48% bought that product or service (SproutSocial,. n. v i n Cchannel 2010); Twitter is the number 1 online influencing purchasing decisions h e n for gchi U. surrounding electronics (Mashable, 2012); 15,100,000 consumers go to social media channels before making purchase decisions (Knowledge Networks, 2012); 7. 74% of consumers rely on social networks to guide purchase decisions (SproutSocial); 58% of Facebook users expect offers, events or promotions when they become fans (Hubspot); Facebook is the most effective platform to get consumers talking about products (SproutSocial); 79% of consumers like a Facebook company page because it offers discounts and incentives; 38% 13 to 80 year olds in the U.S. said their purchasing decisions were influenced by social media (Knowledge. 16.

(22) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Networks); 81% of US respondents indicated that friends’ social media posts directly influenced their purchase decision. As of June 2011, there were 213,000,000 fans of Facebook Pages (Mashable); 32.5% of women say they’re influenced by special offers on Facebook and 29% on Twitter (Business2Community, 2012); 78% of respondents said that companies’ social media posts impact their purchases; 70% of active online adult social networkers shop online, 12% more likely than the average adult internet user (Nielsen, 2011); 20. 44% of social media savvy women said their trusted/favorite blogger influences their purchasing decision. On a different. 治政大 as people they know when it means that 72% of people trust complete strangers just as much 立 study, 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This. comes to making a purchase decision (Peneycad, 2013).. ‧ 國. 學. Fauser (2011) conducted a research study regarding the impact of social media on. y. sit. Consumers felt that information sharing, collaboration and relationship building. io. al. was necessary to support ongoing communication. v i n Social media marketing C allowed the opportunity to be in the h e norganizations gchi U n. -. er. -. Nat. research were:. ‧. touch points during the consumer’s purchase decision journey. Key points resulting from this. position to offer additional sources of information regarding product benefits, product features and provide real time feedback to consumers. -. Social networks, particularly Facebook were found to be most suitable information sharing platform at the beginning of the consumer purchase decision as many consumers relied on social recommendations. -. Many consumers used Facebook reviews and ratings (“likes”) as the means to seek recommendations, peer advice and find product information.. 17.

(23) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. The relationship between social media and consumer decision-making present that social media affects advertising attitudes, brand attitudes, and purchasing intentions of consumer. It will not necessarily affect consumer’s decision-making, but might possess a mediating effect (Taining, 2012). Therefore, social media can build brand attitudes that affect buying behavior. Consumers have influence and can facilitate the acceptance of a brand in virtual market places through social media (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). Social networks were also considered the most influential platforms in terms of social media as it served as an “allpurpose” medium to engage with consumers at all stages of the consumer decision journey (Fauser, 2011).. 2.5 Social media and travel. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. With the enormous amount of information potentially available to travelers, the. ‧. Internet constitutes an important platform for information exchange between the consumer. sit. y. Nat. and industry suppliers (hotels, transportation, attractions), intermediaries (travel agents),. io. al. er. controllers (governments and administrative bodies), as well as many non-profit organizations such as destination marketing organizations (Werthner & Klein, 1999).. n. v i n C has search engines,Uonline travel booking sites, and Different technological interfaces, such engchi websites of destination marketing organizations facilitate the information exchange between online travelers and the so-called ‘online tourism domain’ (Xiang., 2008). Presumably, social media, which facilitate the interactions between online consumers, have emerged as an important component of this domain. Tourism is an information-intense industry (Sheldon, 1997 and Werthner & Klein, 1999); therefore, it is critical to understand changes in technologies and consumer behavior that impact the distribution and accessibility of travel-related information. Particularly, it has been argued that understanding the nature of the online tourism domain is an important. 18.

(24) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. stepping-stone for the development of successful marketing programs and better information systems in tourism (Fesenmaier, 2006 & Xiang, 2008). It seems that while social media are becoming increasingly important in the online tourism domain, there is a lack of empirical data to describe and explain the role of social media in the context of online travel information search. Social media help influence travel planning and shopping with user-generated content, reviews and photographs. They influence several components of consumer behavior such as awareness, opinions, attitudes, but also purchasing behavior and post-purchase com-. 治政大 search using search media as their information gathering tool as opposed to traditional 立. munications and evaluation (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). People are increasingly using social. engines. There are more and more people visiting social media websites, consulting friends. ‧ 國. 學. and others within online communities, and also gaining access to people living in the actual. ‧. destination (through websites such as Couchsurfing). The key to social media is that. sit. y. Nat. consumers are able to consult other people for recommendations. For example, 72% of all. io. al. travelling (DigitalBuzz, 2011).. er. social network users access their social network sites on a daily basis while they are. n. v i n C h in travel-related When analyzing consumer behavior e n g c h i U decisions, the high risks of. product-service purchase become noticeable due to the complex and pragmatic nature of tourism services. Thus, consumers require risk reduction tactics such as extensive information search strategies (Sirakaya & Woodside, 2005). Potential tourists and travelers around the world rely on other people experiences and stories in an effort to decrease their uncertainty towards the decision making process. However, regarding the role and impact of social media as a whole throughout the decision making process and throughout the travel planning process, there is still a gap that requires a more comprehensive research (Parra & López, 2011). Social media has the advantage of reaching global audience, even in remote. 19.

(25) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. corners of the world, immediately with no time lag, with easy accessibility for those receiving the communication and ubiquitous versatility for interactive exchanges (World Travel Market Industry Report, 2011).. 2.6 Consumer Travel Purchase Regarding the consumption of travel services specifically, besides following the typical decision process, consumers follow a special process due to the unique nature of the tourism product. According to Kotler (2005), the main characteristics of the tourism product. 治政大 touched. The tourism product Intangibility: Services cannot be seen, smelled or even 立. are as follow: -. cannot be proven before consuming, making tourism a high risk activity.. ‧ 國. 學. -. Heterogeneity: Services are offered by people, which mean that it is not possible to. Perishability: The product that is not consumed when it’s offered is considered lost as. sit. y. Nat. -. ‧. obtain two products alike.. io. al. Inseparability: The tourism product is produced and consumed simultaneously.. n. -. er. it is impossible to stock.. v. -. i n C Seasonality: Demand is fluctuates the year. h ethroughout ngchi U. -. High maintenance costs: The basic infrastructure for tourism incurs high costs to upkeep buildings and transportation infrastructure.. -. Interdependence: Tourists consume not just a single product or service but many service and product combinations, all of them are interdependent.. Given the potential impact of social media in online tourism, knowledge about the role of social media in travel information gathering is considered essential to better understand tourism marketing practices (Fesenmaier, 2007 and Gretzel, 2006). First and. 20.

(26) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. foremost, the emergence of social media has given rise to issues with respect to how tourism marketers can leverage social media in order to support their online marketing efforts (Gretzel, 2006). Many travel and tourism operations have also recognized the importance of including consumer-generated content on their websites, usually in the form of edited comments. It seems that current tourism marketing practice focuses attention on utilizing social media to create positive image and word-of-mouth for tourist destinations and businesses. However, without a solid understanding of the role of social media in online travel information search, tourism marketers' ability to take advantages this market. 治政大of the tourism product, tourists Due to all the particularities and unique characteristics 立. intelligence is very limited (Blackshaw & Nazzaro, 2006).. develop a special behavior in their decision making process because it encompasses a great. ‧ 國. 學. risk and involvement. Mathieson and Wall (1982), proposed a five stage model: need/desire. ‧. for travel; information collection and evaluation by image; travel decision; travel preparations. sit. y. Nat. and travel experience; travel satisfaction outcome and evaluation. Therefore, the relevance of. io. al. n. great importance.. er. the source of information gathering for travel planning in order to make a good choice is of. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 2.7 Credibility Credibility is a variable that has relevance for this study, as social media are also a source of information. There are different elements that may comprise a person's credibility but, according to Hovland’s (1953) definition of credibility, the two elements most commonly identified are perceived expertise and trustworthiness of the source. Trustworthiness is a receiver judgment based primarily on subjective factors. Expertise can be similarly subjectively perceived but includes relatively objective characteristics of the. 21.

(27) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. source or message as well. Therefore, source credibility is the believability of a communicator, as perceived by the recipient of the message. Nowadays, with the development of the Internet in our lives, the theory of source credibility had also to adapt to this new media, changing its traditional distinction of source, message, and medium credibility. As more people rely on social media for political, social, and business events, it is more susceptible to become a place for evildoers to use it to spread misinformation and rumors (Abbasi & Liu, 2012). Therefore, users have the challenge to discern which piece of information is credible or not.. 治政 availability makes assessing the credibility of information 大 extremely complex. The origin of 立 The wide-scale access and multiplicity of sources that ensure vast information. information, its quality, and its veracity are now in many cases less clear than ever before,. ‧ 國. 學. resulting in an unparalleled burden on individuals to locate appropriate information and. ‧. assess its meaning and relevance accurately (Metzger & Flanagin, 2008).. sit. y. Nat. Comparing conventional media, assessing information credibility in social media is. io. al. er. the more challenging problem. In the case of conventional media such as newspapers, the source and media are known; in addition the medium's owners take responsibility for the. n. v i n C hmedia, the source may content. However in the case of social e n g c h i U be unknown, thus no one takes responsibility about the content. This anonymity is both an advantage and a disadvantage of social media. On one hand, people create content, and leave feedback or vote without being afraid of any negative side effects resulting from their activities. On the other hand, people could also take advantage of openness and anonymity. Some would create many accounts in which to leave positive reviews in order to boost one product or negative reviews to downgrade another (Abbasi & Liu, 2012). Those growing up in an interactive digital media world are more comfortable with collaborating and sharing information, and do so in ways that allow them to act quickly and. 22.

(28) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. without top-down direction (Prensky, 2001). This has profound implications for credibility construction and assessment. The interactivity afforded by digital media has set up an expectation among many young people to play roles of both information source and receiver simultaneously as they critique, alter, remix, and share content in an almost conversational manner using digital media. For example, the Forrester Research published a report on 2008 found that company blogs were among the bottom of the list of trusted sources of information. Consumers gave more trust to emails from their contacts, consumer reviews, search engines, and social media. 政治大. than to online classifieds or company official blogs. That is, media where people play both roles of source and receiver.. 立. On another study regarding trustworthiness on information sources made by the North. ‧ 國. 學. American Technographics (See figure 2.2), social media websites ranked fourth above print. ‧. newspapers (5th), radio (7th), print magazines (8th) and television (9th). This shows how. sit. y. Nat. relevant social media are becoming for the consumers: they are already trusting more in the. io. n. al. er. information found there than the one coming from traditional media.. Ch. Email from people you know Consumer product ratings/reviews Search engines Social Media site profiles Print Newspapers Online content sites Radio Print magazines TV Wikipedia Email from companies Online classifieds Personal Blog Company Blog. engchi. i n U. v. 77%. 60% 50% 46% 43% 39% 39% 39% 38% 33% 28% 20% 18% 16%. Figure 2.2 Trustworthiness on information sources (trust is defined as a 4 or 5 on a scale from 1 to 5). Source: North American Technographics. Media and Marketing Online Survey, 2008. 23.

(29) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Traditional media and online information posted by companies are presented as lowtrusted information sources, while information that is found online and comes from either the user’s social circle or from profiles from social media are regarded as more credible. This is partially because the users see other people’s profiles on social media as belonging to the same ‘community’ of people that are both giving and receiving information for the sake of sharing experiences with others. Meanwhile, information that comes from traditional media or from companies’ official blogs or websites may be perceived as having financial motives such as increasing sales or market share.. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 24.

(30) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY. 3.1 Research Framework This study aims at examining the relationships between the use of social media and consumer’s travel plan decision making as well as his or her information sharing. Taking into consideration the variables previously stated, I proposed a research framework as follows:. 立. ‧ 國. Perceived trustworthiness. 學. Demographics. 政治大. ‧. Frequency of travel. Affect travel plan decision. Perceived usefulness. Share information. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. n. Figure 3.1 Research Framework for the study. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. The research framework has two dependent variables: ‘affect travel plan’ and ‘share travel information’. The two focal independent variables of interest are trustworthiness of the source and usefulness of information. However, three demographic variables—gender, age, and education—and frequency of travel are also included in the framework as control variables. The purpose of it is to examine the impact of the focal explanatory variables on the dependent variables in the presence of the control variables, namely, consumer’s demographic variables and travel frequency.. 25.

(31) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. 3.2 Data collection An online questionnaire survey was used in collecting the data. The questionnaire consisted in questions regarding demographic information (age, gender, occupation, etc.). Consumer satisfaction and trustworthiness towards social media are also included. These questions aim to find out more about the effect of social media on the consumer’s behavior and his/her intentionality of sharing information after using social media. It also helped in finding out more information about the travel planning process of the consumers that use social media and how they make use of them along the different trip stages.. 治政大process. The questionnaires were (www.qualtrics.com) in order to facilitate the data gathering 立 The questionnaire (see Appendix, p.61) was uploaded to the website Qualtrics. distributed from May 24th to June 15th of the year 2013 during different times of the day to. ‧ 國. 學. increase participation. As for the sampling method, participants were chosen using purposive. ‧. sampling. Survey respondents were foreigners from different universities in Taiwan. In order. sit. y. Nat. to reach them, the researcher joined different Facebook groups where foreigners in Taiwan. io. al. 1) FSIT: Foreign Students in Taiwan. er. are part of. These groups were:. n. v i n Ch (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ForeignStudentsTaiwan/) engchi U. 2) NCCU International Association (https://www.facebook.com/groups/nccuia/) 3) NTUFSA: National Taiwan University Foreign Students Association (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NTUFSA/) 4) National Taiwan University – Exchange Spring 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/149280115230873/) 5) National Sun Yat Sen University International Students 2012 - 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NSYSUISA1314/). 26.

(32) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. After joining the groups, the researcher uploaded the link of the questionnaire on the websites and requested for the collaboration of those who are part of these groups. Foreign students in Taiwan were chosen as the main target to facilitate the research data-gathering process. Also, because of the language barrier, the researcher chose to approach foreigners rather than Taiwanese students in order to facilitate communication in English. This selection criterion helped in narrowing the chances of having a sample that contains a larger number of individuals that are heavy users of social media (96% of all university students have a Facebook profile). This also helped in building a demographic profile for heavy users of. 治政大 of social media and their frequency of usage. 立. social media in travel planning and to investigate which variables affect the trustworthiness. ‧ 國. 學. 3.3 Research Variables. ‧. There are two dependent variables: ‘affect travel plan’ and ‘share travel information’.. sit. y. Nat. The two focal independent variables of interest are trustworthiness of social media and. io. al. er. usefulness of information. Since the two explanatory variables are measured by multiple questionnaire items, therefore, factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted to. n. v i n C hvariables based onUmultiple indicators. validate the reliability of the composite engchi 3.3.1 Trustworthiness. Trustworthiness is the key factor that will predict whether the user makes use of the information found on social media and compare it with that from traditional sources of information or official Websites from companies related to the tourism industry. It will affect the consumer behavior and also the intentionality of sharing the information with others. For this study, the variable “Trustworthiness in social media” was created by computing two items from the questionnaire:. 27.

(33) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. -. ‘The contents found on social media are trustworthy’ (Q. 10). -. ‘The experiences and comments found on social media are trustworthy’ (Q. 22). Table 3.2 Scale indicators and reliability for intervening variables Scale and Variable Label 1) Trustworthiness of social media. Factor Loading. Cronbach Alpha: .803. - The contents found on social media are. .82. trustworthy - The experiences and comments found on social media are trustworthy. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. 3.3.2 Usefulness. .82. Usefulness with the information found develops into willingness to share the. ‧. information found online. After the user has evaluated the data and found that it was helpful. sit. y. Nat. and relevant to its research purposes, he/she approves of it by trusting the source. This may. n. al. er. io. lead in sharing the contents with others.. i n U. v. To avoid the problem of multicollinearity, the author constructed a composite. Ch. engchi. measure of the predictor variable ‘usefulness of social media’, by including multiple highly correlated predictors in a multiple regression analysis. The variable was based on the following items found in the questionnaire: -. ‘The information I find in social media is always relevant to my inquiries’ (Q. 17). -. ‘The experiences shared on social media are helpful’ (Q. 19). -. ‘The information found on social media is frequently updated’. (Q. 20). 28.

(34) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Table 3.3 Scale indicators and reliability for intervening variables Scale and Variable Label 1) Usefulness of social media. Factor Loading. Cronbach Alpha: .638. - The information I find in social media is. .547. always relevant to my inquiries - The experiences shared on social media are. .999. helpful - The information found on social media is. .696. frequently updated. 3.3.3 Control variable. 立. 政治大. In addition to the two focal independent variables, consumer’s demographic variables. ‧ 國. 學. and travel frequency were included in the analyses. The following demographic variables. ‧. were included: age, gender, level of education. Frequency of travel was also included to stand. sit. y. Nat. for the consumer’s interest in and previous experience of travel, meanwhile, it may also. io. n. al. er. distinguish the frequent travelers and the less frequently travelers.. Ch. engchi. 3.3.4 Social media affect travel plan decision. i n U. v. The attitudes toward the information retrieved on social media -and whether it is useful or not- affects directly and changes the consumer’s mind towards their travel planning, the likelihood of following the recommendations, and the share intentionality of their own travel experiences. The variable ‘Social media affect travel plans’ is also created by computing two items from the questionnaire: -. ‘Reading experiences from others on social media helps me in making decisions’ (Q.18). -. ‘The comments and messages I read on social media affect my decisions’ (Q. 23). 29.

(35) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Table 3.4 Scale indicators and reliability for intervening variables Scale and Variable Label 1) Social Media affect Travel Plans. Factor Loading. Cronbach Alpha: .781. - Reading experiences from others on social. .80. media helps me in making decisions - The comments and messages I read on. .80. social media affect my decisions. 政治大. 3.3.5 Other single indicator variables. 立. Other variables were measured by single question from the questionnaire. These. ‧ 國. -. 學. variables. Recommend use of social media: ‘I recommend my friends and family to look for. ‧. information regarding travel planning on social media’ (Q. 21). This question was. y. Nat. n. al. er. Share travel experiences: ‘I share my own travel experiences on Social Media’ (Q. 26).. io. -. sit. measured using a five-point Likert scale (Strongly agree to strongly disagree). i n U. v. This question was measured using a simple yes/no scale. -. Ch. engchi. Affect travel decisions: Two questions derived from the previously explained variable ‘social media affect travel decision’ to find out differences between the influence of positive and negative comments. These questions were measured using a five-point Likert scale (Strongly agree to strongly disagree): o ‘Negative comments will make me not want to visit a place’ (Q. 24) o ‘Positive comments will make me want to visit a place’ (Q. 25). 30.

(36) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. 3.4 Hypotheses. Three hypotheses are derived based on the research framework:. Hypothesis 1: The greater the perceived usefulness of social media, the more likely an individual will recommend his or her friends and family to look for travel related information on social media.. Hypothesis 2: The greater the perceived usefulness of social media, the more likely an. 政治大. individual will share his or her travel experiences.. 立. ‧ 國. 學. Hypothesis 3: The greater the perceived trustworthiness in social media, the more likely an individual will be affected in his or her decision on travel plans.. ‧. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 31.

(37) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND RESULTS The survey questionnaires were distributed as mentioned in chapter 3, from May 24th to June 15th of the year 2013 during different times of the day to increase participation. As for the sampling method, participants were chosen using purposive sampling. After joining the Facebook groups stated in chapter 3, responses from 150 different people from the target (international students in Taiwan) were received. The statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 20.0 to examine the data as well as to test the hypotheses. The following section. 政治大. discusses the results and findings, as well as the validity of the previously stated hypothesis.. 立. ‧ 國. 學. 4.1 Descriptive Analysis. Before going to the analysis of the hypothesis, an overview of the sample and other. Nat. y. ‧. relevant information will be addressed in the following section.. al. er. io. sit. 4.1.1 Sample structure. v i n C htaken from had members Facebook groups where the sample was e n g c h i U from both sexes; however, n. Out of the 150 respondents, 87 (58%) were females and 63 (42%) were males. The. as the results show, females were more willing to respond the survey which was uploaded several times in different days and hours during the period of gathering responses (two weeks). This could be an indicator of how the gender variable affects the use and active participation in social media. This can be expanded to the virtual sphere of the Internet. In this case, women showed more interest than men in answering the online survey.. 32.

(38) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Table 4.1 Demographic information 1.Gender. Number. Percentage. Male. 63. 42%. Female. 87. 58%. Total. 150. 100%. 15 – 20 years old. 7. 5%. 21 – 25 years old. 61. 41%. 26 – 30 years old. 49. 33%. 31 – 35 years old. 14. 9%. 36 – 40 years old. 8. 5%. 9. 6%. 148. 100%. 2. Age. Older than 40 years old. 立. Total. io. 4. Marital Status. 41%. 75. 51%. 9. 6%. 148. 100%. y. Nat. PHD. 60. sit. Master. 3%. al. er. University/College. 4. ‧. High School. 學. 3. Education. ‧ 國. Total. 政治大. 91%. 14. 9%. 148. 100%. 1–3. 37. 25%. 4-6. 73. 48%. 7 or more. 40. 27%. Total. 150. 100%. Married Total. n. v 134. Single. Ch. engchi. i n U. 5.How many trips have you made during the last 12 months. Note: Missing values correspond to unanswered questions.. 33.

(39) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Regarding the trustworthiness towards information found in social media, the majority of respondents (both male and female) showed a neutral-to-agreeable opinion (86.6%) towards data found in social media. However, by running a T-test on SPSS to compare gender differences in trustworthiness towards social media, there were no statistical differences between men and women. There is a tendency to agree that the contents in social media are trustworthy, however, there is a gap that separates those who agree from those who strongly agree on this statement. This shows that, even though participants trust the contents to a certain level, they. 治政大 the differences in age we also analyze how age and trustworthiness are related. Regarding 立. are aware that the information found in social media cannot be trusted completely. Further on,. between the participants, most of the people who answered the survey were of ages between. ‧ 國. 學. 21 to 30 years old (82%). This is because the majority of the survey recipients were. ‧. university students that are either on exchange programs or studying a Master’s degree in. sit. y. Nat. Taiwan. The second most prevalent group is that of people from 31 to 35 years old. As for the. io. al. er. relation between age and their perception towards Social Media contents trustworthiness, the. n. following chart shows where we can find statistical significance between groups:. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Table 4.2 Trustworthiness differences on social media by age N Mean. F. Sig.. 15 – 20 years old. 7. 4.8571. 2.346. .044. 21 – 25 years old. 61. 5. 26 – 30 years old. 49. 5.3191. 31 – 35 years old. 14. 5.0714. 36 – 40 years old. 8. 5.3750. Older than 40 years old. 9. 6.6250. Total. 148. 5.2168. Scheffe Test 21 – 25 years old & Older than 40 years old. .066. 34.

(40) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. There are significant differences (p=.066) between two of the age groups: those in the 21 – 25 years old category, and those that are older than 40 years old. The majority of people surveyed chose neutral-to-agree choices, concentrating the 86% of the sample population. It is interesting to point the younger audience tend to trust more in the contents found in social media. Those in an age range between 21 to 35 have less credibility perception towards the information but still maintain certain level of trustworthiness. Regarding the educational level of the respondents, those who are currently studying at university or doing a Master’s degree hold the majority of the sample population (92%),. 治政大while only 9% are already it is also no surprise to find out that 91% of them are single, 立. followed by people studying a PHD (6%). Since the respondents are primarily young people,. married.. ‧ 國. 學. Going further in understanding the target, when asked if they consider themselves. ‧. frequent travelers, 76% answered ‘Yes’, leaving 24% as non-frequent travelers. This could be. sit. y. Nat. a very subjective question, after all, what does ‘frequent’ stands for? In order to have a better. io. n. al. er. understanding, the next question deal with the number of trips made during the last year.. i n U. v. Even though some of the respondents previously answered that they do not consider. Ch. engchi. themselves as frequent travelers, we can see that the range of people that have made from 4 to more trips in the last year sum up to 75% of all the respondents (this range of trips is considered by the researcher as being a ‘frequent traveler’). The rest of them have made at least one trip in the last twelve months. Now, regarding the use of the Internet when planning a trip, the responses were as follow:. 35.

(41) Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL PLANNING. Never. 1%. Rarely. 1%. Sometimes. 5%. Often. 11%. Almost always. 82%. 政治大. Figure 4.3 Use of Internet when planning a trip. 立. The vast majority of the respondents go online to look for information when planning. ‧ 國. 學. a trip (98%). This shows that the target chosen for this study is a heavy user of the Internet and relies on this media to gather information. As previously seen in the demographic. ‧. information, this is a young audience (from 21 to 30 years old) with superior studies (98%). y. Nat. sit. which makes it easier to understand why they use the Internet not just for entertainment, but. n. al. er. io. also to gather information for different purposes (such as academia or travel planning).. i n U. v. Following up, when asked if they go specifically to social media to look for information. Ch. engchi. regarding travel planning, 93% confirmed that they indeed visit these sort of websites. To do a further analysis on which social media they use in the different stages of travel planning (before, during and after the trip), the results will follow after a quick description of each of the social media mentioned in the question:. A) Facebook An online social networking service. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, exchange messages, and receive automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join 36.

社交媒體對於消費著行為的旅遊規劃影響： 針對台灣的國際學生的研究 - 政大學術集成

社交媒體對於消費著行為的旅遊規劃影響：針對台灣的國際學生的研究 - 政大學術集成