Title: How do people adopt information on social media? The role of e-WOM in revealing travel itineraries

Authors: Nilsah Cavdar Aksoy; Alev Kocak Alan; Ebru Tumer Kabadayi; Hayri Sinan Dagistanli

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Gebze Technical University, Turkey ' Department of Business Administration, Gebze Technical University, Turkey ' Department of Business Administration, Gebze Technical University, Turkey ' Department of Business Administration, Gebze Technical University, Turkey

Abstract: Social media represents a source of information exchange for individuals day by day. The information released in this environment has become an element of word-of-mouth communication. This type of information indicates an area that should be managed for all sectors, including the tourism sector. The purpose of this study is to explain the adoption behaviours of individuals towards tourism information in social media, within the framework of information-related factors and source-related factors. Four hundred seventy-nine participants aged from 18 to 55 were surveyed, and the data obtained were tested with covariance-based structural equation modelling by using AMOS 23. The results of the study showed the following: 1) source homophily positively relates to both source expertise and source trustworthiness; 2) effective factors on information credibility are source credibility, source expertise, and argument quality; 3) information credibility and former three positively relates to information usefulness; 4) information usefulness exerts a positive influence on information adoption.

Keywords: social media; electronic word-of-mouth; e-WOM; information adoption; information usefulness; information credibility; argument quality; source expertise; source trustworthiness; source homophily.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2021.118258

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2021 Vol.15 No.5/6, pp.550 - 569

Received: 30 Oct 2019
Accepted: 27 Apr 2020
Published online: 18 Oct 2021 *

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