Factors influencing Generation Y’s tourism-related social media activity: the case of Polish students

Purpose This study aims to identify the factors which affect Generation Y’s activity in social media (SM) while traveling. It draws on and extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) and social influence theory. It examines the effects of social influence processes (compliance, identification and internalization), perceived enjoyment (PE), perceived risk, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on tourism-related SM activity. Design/methodology/approach The study tested the model with a sample of 420 Polish Y’s who had traveled in the preceding 12 months and used SM. The verification of the hypotheses and the analysis of relationships between the variables were performed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings Out of the four variables of the TAM, only PE has significantly and directly affected Ys’ tourism-related activity in SM. From among the three processes of social influence, only internalization has had a significant impact on the enjoyment of SM use and, consequently, on the SM activity of Generation Y. Research limitations/implications This study covered only Polish Y’s. In the future, the formulated hypotheses should be verified in other generational cohorts, in sub-cohorts of Y’s and in other cultural contexts. Furthermore, limitations include lack of randomization of the survey distribution. Practical implications The presented results show a generational portrait of an increasingly important consumer group on the tourism market in relation to factors affecting their tourism-related activity in SM. Originality/value This is one of few studies (the first in the Central and Eastern Europe context) to examine Generation Y’s adoption of SM in tourism-related activity drawing on and extending the TAM and processes of social influence.