IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/elmark/v31y2021i3d10.1007_s12525-021-00472-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is a picture worth a thousand views? Measuring the effects of travel photos on user engagement using deep learning algorithms

Author

Listed:
  • Dobin Yim

    (Loyola University Maryland)

  • Timothy Malefyt

    (Fordham University)

  • Jiban Khuntia

    (University of Colorado Denver)

Abstract

Travel photos inform and inspire consumers by conveying a first-hand destination experience. Despite the proliferation of consumer-generated travel photos in online travel review sites, deconstructing the effects of photos on consumer engagement remains a challenge to the tourism industry. We provide a framework to process and interpret various photographic elements on user engagement using deep learning algorithms. We posit that a photo can invoke consumers’ subjective interpretations of photos representing authentic, creative, or emotional dimensions of the destination experience. A structured crowdsourced categorization process was deployed to measure the interpretive dimensions of the photos. The objects in photographs are identified using a novel deep learning algorithm for controls. We use narrative framing concepts to theorize their influence on user engagement in an online travel review site setting. Relevant three sets of hypotheses are tested using a large dataset of photo-based travel reviews sampled between 2012 and 2014. A negative zero-inflated binomial regression is used to estimate the effect of subjective interpretation of photos on user engagement, accounting for overdispersed excess zeros associated with count outcomes. Results support the hypotheses. The additional analyses explore other plausible influential attributes to user engagements to complement our main findings. We discuss the theoretical contributions to the online-image-persuasion stream of research and practical implications for online tourist review sites.

Suggested Citation

  • Dobin Yim & Timothy Malefyt & Jiban Khuntia, 2021. "Is a picture worth a thousand views? Measuring the effects of travel photos on user engagement using deep learning algorithms," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 31(3), pages 619-637, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:elmark:v:31:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s12525-021-00472-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s12525-021-00472-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12525-021-00472-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12525-021-00472-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sunyoung Hlee & Hanna Lee & Chulmo Koo, 2018. "Hospitality and Tourism Online Review Research: A Systematic Analysis and Heuristic-Systematic Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-27, April.
    2. Adam, Marc T.P. & Astor, Philipp J. & Krämer, Jan, 2016. "Affective Images, Emotion Regulation and Bidding Behavior: An Experiment on the Influence of Competition and Community Emotions in Internet Auctions," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 56-69.
    3. Grissemann, Ursula S. & Stokburger-Sauer, Nicola E., 2012. "Customer co-creation of travel services: The role of company support and customer satisfaction with the co-creation performance," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 1483-1492.
    4. van Rompay, Thomas J.L. & de Vries, Peter W. & van Venrooij, Xaviera G., 2010. "More than Words: On the Importance of Picture–Text Congruence in the Online Environment," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 22-30.
    5. Kolar, Tomaz & Zabkar, Vesna, 2010. "A consumer-based model of authenticity: An oxymoron or the foundation of cultural heritage marketing?," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 652-664.
    6. Michael B. Beverland & Francis J. Farrelly, 2010. "The Quest for Authenticity in Consumption: Consumers' Purposive Choice of Authentic Cues to Shape Experienced Outcomes," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(5), pages 838-856, February.
    7. A. Colin Cameron & Pravin K. Trivedi, 2010. "Microeconometrics Using Stata, Revised Edition," Stata Press books, StataCorp LP, number musr, March.
    8. Shaw, Gareth & Bailey, Adrian & Williams, Allan, 2011. "Aspects of service-dominant logic and its implications for tourism management: Examples from the hotel industry," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 207-214.
    9. Xiaojing Yang & Robert E. Smith, 2009. "Beyond Attention Effects: Modeling the Persuasive and Emotional Effects of Advertising Creativity," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(5), pages 935-949, 09-10.
    10. Ram, Y. & Björk, P. & Weidenfeld, A., 2016. "Authenticity and place attachment of major visitor attractions," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 110-122.
    11. Escalas, Jennifer Edson & Stern, Barbara B, 2003. "Sympathy and Empathy: Emotional Responses to Advertising Dramas," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 29(4), pages 566-578, March.
    12. Daniel Kahneman, 2003. "Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(5), pages 1449-1475, December.
    13. Sparks, Beverley A. & Browning, Victoria, 2011. "The impact of online reviews on hotel booking intentions and perception of trust," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1310-1323.
    14. Tversky, Amos & Kahneman, Daniel, 1986. "Rational Choice and the Framing of Decisions," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(4), pages 251-278, October.
    15. Robert E. Smith & Scott B. MacKenzie & Xiaojing Yang & Laura M. Buchholz & William K. Darley, 2007. "Modeling the Determinants and Effects of Creativity in Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(6), pages 819-833, 11-12.
    16. Panos Constantinides & Ola Henfridsson & Geoffrey G. Parker, 2018. "Introduction—Platforms and Infrastructures in the Digital Age," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 381-400, June.
    17. Jefferson Duarte & Stephan Siegel & Lance Young, 2012. "Trust and Credit: The Role of Appearance in Peer-to-peer Lending," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 25(8), pages 2455-2484.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sunyoung Hlee & Hanna Lee & Chulmo Koo, 2018. "Hospitality and Tourism Online Review Research: A Systematic Analysis and Heuristic-Systematic Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-27, April.
    2. Pelet, Jean-Éric & Durrieu, François & Lick, Erhard, 2020. "Label design of wines sold online: Effects of perceived authenticity on purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    3. Farrelly, Francis & Kock, Florian & Josiassen, Alexander, 2019. "Cultural heritage authenticity: A producer view," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    4. Yi-Ching Hsieh & Hung-Chang Chiu & Yun-Chia Tang & Wei-Yun Lin, 2018. "Does Raising Value Co-creation Increase All Customers’ Happiness?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(4), pages 1053-1067, November.
    5. Rik Pieters & Michel Wedel, 2012. "Ad Gist: Ad Communication in a Single Eye Fixation," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(1), pages 59-73, January.
    6. Maria R. Ibanez & Michael W. Toffel, 2020. "How Scheduling Can Bias Quality Assessment: Evidence from Food-Safety Inspections," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(6), pages 2396-2416, June.
    7. Dan K. Hsu & Johan Wiklund & Richard D. Cotton, 2017. "Success, Failure, and Entrepreneurial Reentry: An Experimental Assessment of the Veracity of Self–Efficacy and Prospect Theory," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 19-47, January.
    8. Barberis, Nicholas & Huang, Ming, 2009. "Preferences with frames: A new utility specification that allows for the framing of risks," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 33(8), pages 1555-1576, August.
    9. Dina Loncaric & Jasmina Dlacic & Andrijana Kos Kavran, 2018. "Improving Quality Of Life Through Co-Creating Tourist Experience €“ What Does Experience Marketing Have To Do With It?," Economic Thought and Practice, Department of Economics and Business, University of Dubrovnik, vol. 27(1), pages 103-121, june.
    10. Ali, Mazhar, 2016. "Evaluating Advertising Effectiveness of Creative Television Advertisements for High Involvement Products," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 17(4), pages 916-932.
    11. Castéran, Herbert & Roederer, Claire, 2013. "Does authenticity really affect behavior? The case of the Strasbourg Christmas Market," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 153-163.
    12. Carmen Berne-Manero & Maria Gómez-Campillo & Mercedes Marzo-Navarro & Marta Pedraja-Iglesias, 2018. "Reviewing the Online Tourism Value Chain," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-18, August.
    13. Maria Rosario Perello-Marín & Gabriela Ribes-Giner & Odette Pantoja Díaz, 2018. "Enhancing Education for Sustainable Development in Environmental University Programmes: A Co-Creation Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-17, January.
    14. Tarnanidis, Theodore & Owusu-Frimpong, Nana & Nwankwo, Sonny & Omar, Maktoba, 2015. "Why we buy? Modeling consumer selection of referents," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 24-36.
    15. Jou, Rong-Chang & Chen, Ke-Hong, 2013. "An application of cumulative prospect theory to freeway drivers’ route choice behaviours," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 123-131.
    16. Bang Nguyen-Viet & Si Van Nguyen, 2023. "Authentic Experience, Place Attachment, and Behavioral Intention: Vietnamese Religious Tourism," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    17. Shambhavi Tiwari & Morten Moshagen & Benjamin E. Hilbig & Ingo Zettler, 2021. "The Dark Factor of Personality and Risk-Taking," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-18, August.
    18. Bogliacino, Francesco & Codagnone, Cristiano, 2021. "Microfoundations, behaviour, and evolution: Evidence from experiments," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 372-385.
    19. Hatime Kamilcelebi, 2019. "Framing Effect and Decision-Making in the Market: A Research on Profit-Seeking and Religiousness in Turkey," International Journal of Asian Social Science, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 9(7), pages 417-425, July.
    20. Yuan Qiao & Kaisheng Huang & Johannes Jeub & Jianan Qian & Yizhou Song, 2018. "Deploying Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Considering Time Cost and Existing Infrastructure," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-13, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Image classification; Object detection; Subjective interpretation; Artificial intelligence; Deep learning; Travel reviews; User engagement;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M15 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - IT Management

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:elmark:v:31:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s12525-021-00472-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.