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Social media is transforming the way we communicate, collaborate, share and consume (Aral, Dellarocas, & Godes, 2013). Social media is defined as a “set of online tools that support social interaction between users, facilitating the creation and sharing of knowledge, and transforming monologue (company to the customer) into dialogue” (Hansen, Shneiderman, & Smith, 2011, p. 12). It contains various Internet-based applications built on the ideological and technological basis of Web 2.0 (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). These applications appeared as “game changer” tools, locating the customer at the heart of the organization. Platforms such as “Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and Flickr” have millions of users (Luo, Zhang, & Duan, 2013).
Moreover, social media has transformed how organizations relate to the market, generating new opportunities and challenges (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Social media is considered a useful tool for an organization's business goals and better business performance (Rapp, Beitelspacher, Grewal, & Hughes, 2013). Many organizations are utilizing social media to improve their business brand image and brand awareness (Nisar & Whitehead, 2016). On the other hand, the hotel industry is one of the industries that has been affected by the emergence of social media. The use of social media platforms has become increasingly relevant as part of the tourism experience because it has transformed the way that travel and tourism information is disseminated and shared (Munar & Jacobsen, 2014).