Place Attachment to a Holiday Destination: An explorative research on place attchment and display on Instagram with focus on emotional and functional dimensions that could amplify attachment
Author
Nielsen, Tanja Knoblauch
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-01-30
Pages
75
Abstract
This explorative thesis examines how place attachment to a holiday destination forms and how it is displayed on Instagram, using a case study of Danish tourists in New York City. Grounded in a functional–affective framework, the study distinguishes between functional values (e.g., the physical setting, infrastructures, activity options, sociocultural relations and value for money) and emotional values (e.g., intimacy in social interactions, feelings of being at home and belonging, and place identity). Using qualitative methods—netnographic analysis of Instagram photos, captions and hashtags alongside interviews—the research explores how tourists’ psychological investment in a destination is articulated. Findings indicate that both functional and emotional values jointly generate place attachment: functional values act as catalysts linked to action and behavioral tendencies that appear in visual Instagram displays, while emotional values provide the conditions for deeper attachment, evident in expressed attitudes, love declarations and affectionate narratives in Instagram text. The interplay between satisfaction, dependence, novelty–familiarity and loyalty emerges as part of this process. The study highlights Instagram’s role as a mediator of tourist experience and a window into how attachment is formed and communicated.
Dette eksplorative speciale undersøger, hvordan stedstilknytning til en feriedestination opstår, og hvordan den vises på Instagram, med et casestudie af danske turister i New York City. Med udgangspunkt i en funktionel–affektiv ramme skelnes der mellem funktionelle værdier (fx det fysiske miljø, infrastruktur, aktivitetsmuligheder, sociokulturelle relationer og “value for money”) og emotionelle værdier (fx intimitet i sociale interaktioner, følelser af at være hjemme og høre til samt stedidentitet). Ved hjælp af kvalitative metoder—netnografisk analyse af Instagram-fotos, billedtekster og hashtags kombineret med interviews—undersøger studiet, hvordan turisters psykologiske investering i et sted artikuleres. Fundene indikerer, at både funktionelle og emotionelle værdier i fællesskab skaber stedstilknytning: De funktionelle værdier fungerer som katalysatorer knyttet til handling og adfærdstendenser, der ses i de visuelle Instagram-udtryk, mens de emotionelle værdier udgør betingelserne for dybere tilknytning, synlige i udtrykte holdninger, kærlighedserklæringer og affektive fortællinger i Instagram-tekst. Samspillet mellem tilfredshed, afhængighed, forholdet mellem nyhed og familiaritet samt loyalitet indgår i denne proces. Studiet peger på Instagrams rolle som mediator af turistoplevelser og som vindue til, hvordan tilknytning formes og kommunikeres.
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