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[1659913272] Skip to main content Skip to article Elsevier logo * Journals & Books * * Corporate sign inSign in / register View PDF * Seamless accessAccess through your institution * Purchase PDF [ ] Article preview * Abstract * Introduction * Section snippets * References (42) * Cited by (10) * Recommended articles (6) Elsevier Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Volume 43, June 2020, Pages 289-293 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Travel selfies on social networks, narcissism and the "attraction-shading effect" Author links open overlay panelP.Christou^aA.Farmaki^aA.Saveriades^a M.Georgiou^b Show more Share Cite https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.01.014Get rights and content Abstract This paper aims to trigger researchers' intuitiveness on the somewhat overlooked construct of narcissism from a tourism perspective. The study investigates whether tourists' self-presentation at destinations excludes sites from the picture, thus underpinning a manifestation of narcissism. Anchored in 52 interviews conducted with tourists, the findings show that there is a tendency to capture oneself (or mostly oneself) in a travel selfie while excluding destination attributes or shifting them to the side of the photograph. This action causes an "attraction-shading effect", with destinations facing the challenge of having their sites illustrated in travel photographs shared on social networks. The paper invites scholars to use the tourism context to delve deeper into the notion of narcissism and its impacts at a destination and societal level. Introduction The term narcissism originates from Greek mythology (Karakis, 2019), where a handsome hunter named Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in water. Charmed by his look, he tried unsuccessfully to physically capture his image. Eventually he was consumed by melancholy and died by the pool of water. Narcissism may be expressed in self-promoting content in social networking on the internet (Sheldon & Bryant, 2016; Sorokowski et al., 2015; Buffardi & Campbell, 2008). A large proportion of social media users may intentionally share personal profiles to generate desired impressions through the use of strategic self-presentation techniques (Rui & Stefanone, 2013). Particularly, photographic profiles may be manipulated and are then transmitted to social network sites (Fox & Rooney, 2015), while mobile applications can be used to remove skin imperfections, or enlarging the eyes of the user (Toma & Hancock, 2010). For instance, tourists may deliberately post satisfactory photographs on social media to convey desirable impressions to others (Lo & McKercher, 2015). Even so, selfie behaviors have not so far been studied in detail by tourism scholars (Lyu, 2016)- a gap, that the present study aims to fill. The present study investigates whether selfies taken by tourists shift the focus of the picture to oneself only, excluding potential important sites/attractions from the picture, hence underpinning a self-centered manifestation of narcissism. The significance of this study is threefold. Firstly, it provides further theoretical insights to the current phenomenon of selfies within the context of tourism-that is arguably becoming more narcissistic and undertaken for self-presentation reasons (Canavan, 2017). Secondly and perhaps most importantly, the present study delves deeper into the issue of travel selfies and sharing of these on social networks, and considers the consequences of this action, on destinations. Photography is widely used within a tourism context (Pearce & Wang, 2019; Hockert, Luthje, Ilola, & Stewart, 2018). Apart from promotional reasons such as the case of postcards (Stylianou-Lambert, 2012), other reasons for travel photography are to capture a moment or to make attractions and experiences feel tangible (Nikjoo & Bakhshi, 2019; Christou & Farmaki, 2018). Recently, selfies (that is, self-portrait-type images) have taken a central role within a travel and tourism context. They are informed by tourists' dynamics of self-presentational orientation (Lyu, 2016), even in the case of macabre sites (such as, thanatoplaces), by acting as ghoulish souvenirs (Hodalska, 2017). Finally, the paper aims to trigger tourism academics' intuitiveness on the somewhat overlooked construct of narcissism, and how this phenomenon may possibly impact on destinations and people. Section snippets Literature review The notion of narcissism has troubled researchers and psychologists, such as Freud (1957), and has been examined from various perspectives, such as management in the case of CEO narcissism (Kim, Lee, & Kang, 2018; Petrenko, Aime, Ridge, & Hill, 2016). Whether covert or overt (Wink, 1991), narcissism is considered as an inflated and very positive view of the self (Twenge & Campbell, 2009) and has not received any academic praise (Grubbs, Stauner, Wilt, & Exline, 2018; Canavan, 2017; Pincus, Study methods The study was conducted in Cyprus, a popular destination especially amongst Europeans, and home to a number of natural and artificial attractions that are central points for travel photography (Stylianou- Lambert, 2012). Due to the rather exploratory nature of the study, a qualitative approach was deemed more fitting (Hennink, Hutter, & Bailey, 2011). Tourists were approached by a member of the research team who conducted semi-directive interviews (Christou, 2018) in order to allow responses to Findings The vast majority of the interviewees stated that they take selfies when they feel good; specifically, when they feel good about themselves (appearance), or when they are experiencing positive emotions such as "joy" and "happiness". "When I'm on holidays I am usually in a good mood, I feel happy, optimistic, full with energy ... I want to capture that moment with a nice selfie!" (Female, 26). Sometimes I take selfies in my everyday life, not only while I'm on vocations, especially if I feel that Discussion and conclusions People commonly include themselves in travel photos, even those including physical settings and attractions. In selfie-taking, tourists become the objects of the self-directed tourist gaze (Dinhopl & Gretzel, 2016). Obviously the focal point of a selfie is oneself; that is, the illustration of the person taking the photograph. Nevertheless, based on the present study's findings, it seems that there is a shift from capturing others in travel photographs, such as locals and attractions - as in Prokopis Christou's main research interests include the sociology, psychology and spirituality of tourism, focusing specifically on the consumption and meaning of touristic experiences in contemporary society. He has published in leading tourism academic journals, such as 'Annals of Tourism Research', 'Tourism Management', 'International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management', and 'Current Issues in Tourism'. References (42) * T. Stylianou- Lambert Tourists with cameras: Reproducing or producing? Annals of Tourism Research (2012) * P. Sorokowski et al. Selfie posting behaviors associated with narcissism among men Personality and Individual Differences (2015) * P. Sheldon et al. Instagram: Motives for its use and relationship to narcissism and contextual age Computers in Human Behavior (2016) * J. Rui et al. Strategic self-presentation online: A cross-cultural study Computers in Human Behavior (2013) * P.L. Pearce et al. Human ethology and tourists' photographic poses Annals of Tourism Research (2019) * D.L. Paulhus et al. The dark triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy Journal of Research in Personality (2002) * A. Nikjoo et al. The presence of tourists and residents in shared travel photos Tourism Management (2019) * C. Mahn The virtual tourist gaze in Greece, 1897-1905 Annals of Tourism Research (2014) * S.O. Lyu Travel selfies on social media as objectified self-presentation Tourism Management (2016) * I.S. Lo et al. Ideal image in process: Online tourist photography and impression management Annals of Tourism Research (2015) B. Kim et al. The moderating role of CEO narcissism on the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and CSR Tourism Management (2018) E. Hockert et al. Gazes and faces in tourist photography Annals of Tourism Research (2018) J. Fox et al. The dark triad and trait self-objectification as predictors of men's use and self-presentation behaviors on social networking sites Personality and Individual Differences (2015) A. Dinhopl et al. Selfie-taking as touristic looking Annals of Tourism Research (2016) P. Christou Exploring agape: Tourists on the island of love Tourism Management (2018) Personality disorders: In diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (2013) B. Brotherton Researching hospitality and tourism (2015) L.E. Buffardi et al. Narcissism and social networking web sites Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2008) W.K. Campbell et al. Does self-love lead to love for others?: A story of narcissistic game playing Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2002) B. Canavan Narcissism normalization: Tourism influences and sustainability implications Journal of Sustainable Tourism (2017) P. Christou et al. Utopia as a reinforcement of tourist experiences Annals of Tourism Research (2018) View more references Cited by (10) * Where did you take those photos? Tourists' preference clustering based on facial and background recognition 2021, Journal of Destination Marketing and Management Show abstract The Internet and social media have become major channels for communicating destination image. Pictorial destination image, as shaped by user-generated photos posted on social media, is a key factor in potential tourists' perceptions and decision making. Over 50% of photos contain tourists' facial information. This paper proposes a novel approach to analyzing tourists' travel patterns and their preferences based on facial and photo content recognition techniques. Photos containing tourists' faces were filtered, and different tourist groups were classified by age and gender. Findings indicate that the grouped tourists expressed varying preferences in terms of photographed points of interest and backgrounds. These phenomena were explained based on the notion of tourists' gaze and several psychological theories. * Existential walking 2021, Annals of Tourism Research Show abstract This paper analyses Camono, a pilgrim route on the island of Mon in Denmark, through the lens of existentialist philosophy. The theoretical framework draws on literature focusing on contemporary pilgrimage tourism and existentialism, as presented in Walter Kaufmann's works. The analysis is based on empirical material comprised of Instagram images shared by the pilgrims. The coding and analysis of the data combines a thematic and a metaphorical visual method. The findings show a strong resonance between the experience as portrayed by the pilgrims and core aspects of existentialist thought. They reveal the importance of nature and simple living and the limits to commercialisation and institutionalised religiosity. The study prompts us to rethink our understanding of the interconnection between spirituality and tourism. * Do job seekers' social media profiles affect hospitality managers' hiring decisions? A qualitative inquiry 2021, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Show abstract Guided by the Big Five personality traits and relevant literature, this qualitative study reports a content analysis of 11 semi-structured interviews with the human resource and operations managers in the hospitality industry regarding what types of information on job candidates' social media profiles (SMPs) may affect their hiring decisions. The results revealed that LinkedIn was the most preferred social media site. Hiring managers expected to observe extroversion, leadership, and professionalism from the candidates' SMPs. Additionally, they favoured the posts with pictures about food, catering, and events but disliked those with inappropriate languages or content. The in-depth narrative insights reported in this study address a timely research topic in current literature and help hospitality stakeholders in the job market advance specific practical implications. * Selfies to die for: A review of research on self-photography associated with injury/death in tourism and recreation 2021, Tourism Management Perspectives Show abstract This paper reviews empirical research on the extent and nature of risks associated with dangerous tourist self-photography (selfies) and management responses. Global epidemiological studies have captured the extent of the problem, with studies recording 250+ media-reported deaths within the past decade. Nearly half occurred in natural environments, with key hazards being cliff edges, waterbodies, and wildlife. Researchers exploring the nature of the phenomenon identify contextual factors along with technology-induced distractions, as risk factors in selfie-taking. Demographics also feature, with the majority of casualties being young males. The literature points to management responses that relate to either the social or the risky nature of the phenomenon. The most prevalent are communication-related, ranging from education and awareness-raising to persuasive communication. Targeted communications that invoke social norms and innovative media are suggested for addressing the problem. * Wildlife Selfie Craze: A Case from India 2022, SSRN * Sky-high concerns: examining the influence of drones on destination experience 2022, Tourism Recreation Research View all citing articles on Scopus Recommended articles (6) * Research article Emotional labor and sleep: The moderating effect of life satisfaction Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Volume 43, 2020, pp. 278-282 Show abstract This research note reports on the moderating effect of life satisfaction on the association between emotional labor and sleep of hotel workers. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, the research note reports on how general life satisfaction acts as a buffer between emotional labor and hours of sleep after work. 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In this process, job embeddedness plays a mediating role and the mediating role of job embeddedness can be moderated positively by the employees' exchange ideology; perceived job alternatives only negatively moderates the relationship between job embeddedness and work engagement. This study contributes to the hospitality literature by developing a moderated mediation model of organizational inducement and work engagement. * Research article 'Climate crisis' and 'bushfire disaster': Implications for tourism from the involvement of social media in the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Volume 43, 2020, pp. 294-297 Show abstract This research note seeks to draw attention to the potential impact of social media climate change debates on the Australian tourism industry during and after the devastating 2019-2020 Australian bushfires. 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This analysis strongly supports the two-way interaction effects of review trustworthiness while showing that the three-way interactions effects of review trustworthiness depend significantly on different levels of review skepticism. [1-s2] Prokopis Christou's main research interests include the sociology, psychology and spirituality of tourism, focusing specifically on the consumption and meaning of touristic experiences in contemporary society. He has published in leading tourism academic journals, such as 'Annals of Tourism Research', 'Tourism Management', 'International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management', and 'Current Issues in Tourism'. [1-s2] Anna Farmaki's research interests lie primarily in the areas of tourism planning and development and tourist behaviour. She has published in several reputable peer-reviewed academic journals and has presented her work in various international conferences, seminars and workshops. [1-s2] Alexis Saveriade's research and consulting activities focus on policy formulation and strategic planning for the development of tourism with emphasis on Island economies. [1-s2] Marios Georgiou holds an MBA from the University of Central Lancashire Cyprus and is a licensed tour guide. He is interested in tourism development issues pertaining to associated impacts on local communities. View full text (c) 2020 CAUTHE - COUNCIL FOR AUSTRALASIAN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY EDUCATION. Published by Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved. Elsevier logo with wordmark * About ScienceDirect * Remote access * Shopping cart * Advertise * Contact and support * Terms and conditions * Privacy policy We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. Copyright (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. ScienceDirect(r) is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. 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