Neither Here nor There? The Transformation of Place, Performance, People, and Power Relations Through Travelers' Social Web

Abstract

Smartphones and the social web provide innovative ways to connect, notably in the tourism context. Anecdotes abound of backpackers absorbed in their smartphones or lurking in coffee shops on laptops. It remains unclear whether such preoccupation with the social web, which provides connection with home and with fellow travelers, is beneficial or detrimental to engagement with local people and places. Starting from Gergen's idea of "absent presence," this article examines the recent literature on travelers' use of the social web accessed on smartphones and identifies four distinct but interrelated themes: how smartphones might alter traveler place engagements, their performances while traveling and those who are affected; and finally the implicit power relations in smartphone-enhanced or -encumbered travel. The researchers propose future directions, particularly around the neglected area of interactions between smartphone-bearing travelers and locals.