Comparing how travelers compare: a qualitative typology of social media influence, digital minimalism and gamified engagement
The-Bao LuongPurpose
This study aims to examine and develop a qualitative typology that explains how travelers interpret and respond differently to social media influence, digital minimalism and gamified travel features across the trip lifecycle.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on social comparison theory and self-determination theory, the study employed an interpretivist qualitative design. In-depth, narrative-oriented interviews were conducted with 21 travelers, and the data were analyzed using an abductive, reflexive thematic analysis to identify recurring behavioral patterns and experiential trajectories across cases.
Findings
Five distinct experiential arcs were identified, reflecting different ways in which travelers transform social comparison into pre-trip planning, on-site practices, digital engagement and responses to gamification. These arcs vary according to how digital cues are interpreted as supporting or constraining autonomy, competence and relatedness, producing experiences of urgency, optimization, presence, social synchrony or identity reorientation.
Practical implications
The findings inform the design of flexible, autonomy-supportive tourism platforms and experiences by highlighting arc-specific differences in traveler motivations and attention management, suggesting the need to calibrate visibility, challenge and connectivity according to diverse traveler orientations.
Originality/value
The study contributes to tourism research by conceptualizing social comparison as a set of dynamic, qualitative trajectories rather than as a uniform mechanism and by integrating digital minimalism and gamification within a more unified motivational framework.