An exploration of the factors influencing social media continuance usage and information sharing intentions among Korean travellers

Abstract

The tourism and hospitality industry is largely influenced by the use of social media. However, there is still a need for more empirical research about the factors social media continuance usage and information sharing intentions among travel-related social media (TSM) users. With this realization, underpinned by elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and uses and gratifications theory (UGT), our study investigates the interrelationships of argument quality, source credibility, and information seeking, entertainment, and relationship maintenance motives, and social media continuance usage and information sharing intentions. Data gathered from TSM users in Korea were used to gauge the relationships through structural equation modeling. Argument quality leads to an increased activity in information seeking and entertainment motives, while source credibility positively influences information seeking, entertainment, and relationship maintenance motives. Information seeking, entertainment, and relationship maintenance motives trigger travelers' propensity to display higher social media continuance usage and information sharing intentions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.