Connected tourists: From sightseeing to sitesharing

Abstract

This thesis investigates the influence of ICTs on travel experience using an interdisciplinary perspective linking tourism and internet studies. Drawing from a hybrid autoethnographic approach, the argument is shaped around three themes: connectivity, performance, and place, which interconnect in explicating the mediatory role of ICTs within travel. As its conclusion, the thesis proposes the conceptual framework of “sitesharing”, which foregrounds the role of the online audience in shaping how touristic events are perceived and remembered.