Date of Award

Spring 2020

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Advisor(s)

John Carey

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact that social media, specifically Instagram posts, have on tourism gentrification. Tourism gentrification is defined as, “a process of social change in which neighborhoods are transformed according to the needs of affluent consumers, residents and visitors alike”1. This research seeks to find a link between these three themes of social media, tourism, and gentrification. The main research questions of this paper are: Is there a link between posts on Instagram and gentrification? In what ways does social media drive tourism? How does this social media driven tourism affect the “native” populations of a location becoming gentrified? The paper begins with an introduction to the current known reach and impact of social media on tourism. There is then a literature review to discuss the implications that social media and tourists have separately had on different communities around the world. In order to understand the consequences Instagram posts have on native populations, primary accounts will be referenced in the form of Instagram posts as well as relevant literature. To test the bearing Instagram has on tourism, an ethnographic study was conducted among students at Fordham University who utilize Instagram in making decisions before and while traveling. The expected finding is that Instagram has a significant bearing on modern tourism and that Instagram posts can influence an area’s gentrification, with potentially negative consequences.

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