The Motivations Of College Students' Use Of Social Networking Sites In Travel Information Search Behavior: The Mediating Effect Of Interacting With Other Users

• Published in: Journal of travel & tourism marketing Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 238 - 252
• Main Authors: Kim, Sung-Bum, Choi, Kyu Whan, Kim, Dae-Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Binghamton Routledge 01.04.2013; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: College students; Impact analysis; Motivation; motivations; Regression analysis; Social networking sites; Social networks; Social research; Studies; Travel; travel information search behavior; user interaction
• ISSN: 1054-8408; 1540-7306
• DOI: 10.1080/10548408.2013.774918

Social networking sites (SNSs) have proliferated rapidly in the last few years and continue to grow in popularity. This study argues that social networking sites play a pivotal role in college students' trip information search behavior. The primary objective is to identify motivations that influence college students' propensity to use SNSs to search for travel information, leading to the development of a model. This study also examines the mediating effect of interacting with other users on the relationship between motivations and information search behavior using SNSs. Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses and a mediating effect. The results indicate that all four motivations (i.e., self-expression, commenting, participating in a community forum, and information seeking) affect college students' use of SNSs when they seek travel-related information. It is also observed that interacting with others on SNSs has a mediating role in both motivations and information search behavior. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.