Not such smart tourism? The concept of e-lienation

John Tribe and Muchazondida Mkono

Annals of Tourism Research, 2017, vol. 66, issue C, 105-115

Abstract: The concept of alienation was adapted to tourism by MacCannell who identified it as a key feature of modernity and a strong driver of tourism where tourists seek to reconnect to authentic places and selves. Meanwhile the post-modern world has witnessed a revolution in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) especially in the realm of smart tourism where its advocates talk eagerly of the internet of everything. Such a totalising prospect demands serious review and this article fills a critical gap by conceptualising the idea of e-lienation as a specific form of alienation in ICT-enabled tourism. It combines philosophic questions of meaning, sociological theory and empirical research to demonstrate the meanings of e-lienation, its dimensions, causes, consequences and strategies of resistance.

Keywords: Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Alienation; Authenticity; Netnography (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:anture:v:66:y:2017:i:c:p:105-115

DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2017.07.001

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