The Impact of Social Media on Tourism

Question: Discuss about the Impact of Social Media on Tourism. Answer: Emerging technologies is a term that is frequently used because these are the new techniques and systems that are already existing or yet to be discovered. Emerging technologies has a lot of impact on tourism just like it brings impact in other sectors like the production sector and the IT world in general (Emerging Technologies, 2009). This research paper will shed more light on the impact of social media (emerging technology) in tourism. Therefore, the paper aims to gather the view of different scholars about the emerging technology and how it is affecting tourism. Apparently, technology is making the world a global village. Technology has been part and parcel of all the activities taking place in the manufacturing sector, production, and even in the marketing field among other things. Research has proven that technology is the root of the invention and innovations that have been explored in world. In essence, the definition of technology is intuitive in that it depends on the approach or area of focus we are talking about. However, technology can be referred to as new technique and skills used in various fields to foster innovation and simply tasks. The Impact of Social Media on the Tourism Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4071855.html According to this article, the author has attributes to the great impact and role social media is playing in tourism. I conquer with the author`s argument that social media is apparently the source of information for most tourists. The various virtual community groups that have been developed enable the customers to meet and engage with their colleagues to share experience and insights about a particular restaurant. Besides, the customer can do online booking, organize travel trips just by the click of a button. Further, I agree with the author that social media is a major source of information for the tourists and it has a lot influence to the decision making of the tourist. However, the Author does not offer empirical data to prove about the research. In this case, the author has not given any statistical figures to prove the test and results on the frequency or number of tourists who visit a given country. Also, the author failed to articulate the negative implication social media can bring to those restaurants with bad reviews. In general, social media is dominating the industry hence if utilized in a good manner, the results will be outstanding. Halaweh,M. (2013). Emerging Technology: What is it?Journal of technology management innovation,8(3), 19-20. doi:10.4067/s0718-27242013000400010 According to Halaweh (2013), he has not given clear definition of technology but rather stated some of the examples of emerging technologies. He mentioned social media sites, ambient intelligence, computer cloud, and virtual reality as the emerging technologies. In his research he borrowed the definition from the business dictionary stating that emerging technologies are those technologies that are already existing or are yet to be discovered that change the business process and environment. Just like Halaweh, I can also borrow the definition because it unveils the ambiguity of misunderstanding technology has only those innovations that are existing. Some of the characteristics mentioned are valid like the network effect, the cot, its availability, and impact are prevalent. I agree with this research because the author has clarified with convincing evidence the characteristics of emerging technologies. In this article, the misconception about emerging technologies has been pointed out. However some of the characteristics of technology mentioned do not hold much meaning like the characteristic of uncertainty is not legit. This is because we are sure of the implication an emerging technology can pose to the business environment and social life therefore it is only that we assume things rather than saying we are uncertain about the outcome of a given technology. In terms of cost, he denotes that acquiring this technology is very costly. This is true because of the information infrastructure required to model the new technologies is complex hence calling for high cost. Further, Halaweh has not mentioned the industries that emerging technologies are likely to affect but rather focus his research to unveil the meaning of ETs and their characteristics. Therefore, the author does not mention the practical aspect when emerging technologies are applied. Zeng,B. (2013). Social Media in Tourism.Journal of Tourism Hospitality,02(02). doi:10.4172/2167-0269.1000e125 The article has attributed to the significance of social media towards the tourism sector. The author has emphasized that social media is a reliable source of information, that is, tourist search for information and make decisions based on what they see on the platforms. The research was conducted to reveal the influence of social media platform on tourism without putting into consideration other sectors of the economy. It is concluded that emerging technologies can never be exhausted because their application is relevant and divergent and things keep on changing with time. Zeng,B. (2013). Social Media in Tourism.Journal of Tourism Hospitality,02(02). doi:10.4172/2167-0269.1000e125 This article to a great extent has collected and analyzed research from various academic journals to gather information about the consumer and the supplier perspective in regard to social media in tourism. The research identified social media has the key bearer of information to the travelers. The results obtained from the research indicated that both the customers are the management of the host institutions benefit from social media platforms. The author has portrayed that The fact that new technology is beneficial to the society is indisputable. Looking back, from the invention of the web, technology has been the underlying force gearing innovations and efficiency in industries or even work places. Nowadays, technology and human beings in one thing-people have developed a culture that technology means everything in our lives. As we demand technology in our daily live to do various activities. As time progresses, we still feel thirst for better technology. Essentially, we use technology in businesses, learning, communication, to acquire information and most importantly to satisfy our social ego and pleasure by using virtual community groups. At least there can be justifications on the implication of society. Technology can be good or bad depending on the way we use it. However, there are more positive implications technology has brought about in our lives than the negative implications. For example, technology can be good for teenage children if they use the internet to source educational journals and to carry out research on their assignments. On the other hand, technology can be bad if the teenage children misuse it to stream pornographic movies or be exposed to activities that compromise their morals. Other positive implications of technology can be seen in the agricultural sector. Nowadays some countries have embraced mechanization in their firms which is increasing yields (Jeffs,2008). The improvisation of Genetically Modified Maize cannot be neglected. This technology has helped to sort out social problems in our society like hunger. In Business, the expert systems and enterprise resource planning systems are helping in simplifying data analysis and decision making process (The Impact of Social Media on the Tourism Industry, n.d.). As a result, performance and quality of service has improved has been realized. Also, the social media platforms and online stores like Jumia, Alibaba, eBay, and Amazon among many virtual markets have assisted businesses to enjoy the global market place by accessing the wide market coverage. Reflecting on what I have learnt from the bibliography, emerging technologies are making the world a better place. From my point of perspective, technology is everything and without it live can be miserable. We are fortunate we are in the era technology has simplified things for us. The most important thing of emerging technology is that is you want to realize its impact, spend more time on acquitting yourself with the latest technology. The skill of learning new technologies is amazing. Another point to note is that technology has negative and positive implications. Positive implication come as a result of using technology the right way while it has negative implication comes as a result of using it to diminish or destroy our environment and social values. It is observed that most businesses are embracing virtual community platforms to market their products. Many businesses are adopting the online virtual system where clients and customer care agents meet online to interact and give immediate response to questions (Precourt, 2014). In addition, some business websites offer a warehouse on items that are purchased online irrespective on location the product purchased can be availed to you. Notably, the impact of social media on tourism is immense. Tourism is a major income resource to some countries hence, the acquisition of virtual communities enables tourists to book the best hotels, organize conference meetings, tourist get information about the experience of others visiting particular sceneries hence a tourist is able to make an informed decision about a particular trip. Finally, the innovations we see in diverse industries are derived by new technology. We must be sure, technology gets outdated very fast hence always we should be fl exible to adjust to changes of emerging technologies. References Budeanu,A. (n.d.). Sustainability and Tourism Social Media.Tourism Social Science Series, 87-103. doi:10.1108/s1571-5043(2013)0000018008 Emerging Technologies. (2009).DWDM. doi:10.1109/9780470544440.ch6 Fu,L., Zhong,M. (2014). Emerging technologies special issue of ICTIS 2013.Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies,47, 113. doi:10.1016/j.trc.2014.08.003 Halaweh,M. (2013). Emerging Technology: What is it?Journal of technology management innovation,8(3), 19-20. doi:10.4067/s0718-27242013000400010 The Impact of Social Media on the Tourism Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4071855.html Jeffs,E. (2008). What does the future hold?Generating Power At High Efficiency, 190-201. doi:10.1533/9781845694548.190 King,I. (n.d.). What We Are About to Do Is Highly Problematic.International Volunteer Tourism. doi:10.1057/9781137369352.0011 Prashker,J.N. (2008). Special issue on emerging commercial technologies.Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies,16(3), 275-276. doi:10.1016/j.trc.2008.04.004 Precourt,G. (2014). What Do We Know About Social Media?Journal of Advertising Research,54(1), 4-5. doi:10.2501/jar-54-1-004-005 Roupas,P. (2008). Food Innovation: Emerging Science, Technologies and Applications (FIESTA) conference.Innovative Food Science Emerging Technologies,9(2), 139. doi:10.1016/j.ifset.2007.10.001 Sigala,M. (2014). Social Tourism: Perspectives and Potential.Tourism Management,43, 3. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2014.01.008 Zeng,B. (2013). Social Media in Tourism.Journal of Tourism Hospitality,02(02). doi:10.4172/2167-0269.1000e125