Communication medium and a means to form social networks

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Introduction

Preparation for travel is part of the journey. For most, organised travel, for purposes of both business and leisure, involves a fair amount of planning, which includes gathering reliable information from trustworthy sources regarding, inter alia, the destination and the journey. Travellers, especially those exploring unknown travel destinations, are constantly reliant on appropriate and trustworthy information to make informed consumer choices. Sources of information obviously vary. While word-of-mouth has historically been a preferred way to seek travel information, the provision of travel information and services has become a lucrative business in modern societies. In fact, the consumer value of travel information is considerable.

Background

Lonely Planet, a company that has since its beginnings in 1973 managed to become one of the largest independent travel information publishers in the world embraced the Internet and launched its website in 1994. In 1995, the Thorn Tree was unveiled. Being an asynchronous electronic bulletin board, it offers a computer-mediated platform for people across the globe to form social ties and exchange travel information using text-based messages ordered as threads. Drawing on an existing clientele that is accustomed to its wide range of printed material, Lonely Planet’s incorporation of the so-called “New Media” technologies offers a good example of a traditional company that has managed to redefine itself in the so-called Information Age. Moreover, the many to-many communication capabilities made possible by digital technologies such as electronic bulletin boards, enable loyal Lonely Planet customers, travellers and non-travellers the world over to be sources and not merely nformation consumers or so-called “sinks”, thereby furthering the philosophy held in high esteem at Lonely Planet that informed travellers are more responsible.

Development of theoretical frameworks

Exchange and rational choice stand central to a discussion board like the Thorn Tree. A paper by Homans (1958), “Social behaviour as exchange”, is in many ways seminal to recent developments in exchange and rational choice theory. He introduced the ideas of the benefits and costs of alternative courses of action and declining marginal effects, along with a conception of balance and equilibrium in exchange. Peter Blau’s book Exchange and Power in Social Life followed shortly afterwards in 1964 and is regarded as a classic in the field. Blau focussed on the process of exchange, which, according to him, directs much of human behaviour and underlies relationships among individuals as well as among groups.

Research problem

Rice notes that networks, as a theoretical perspective, analytical construct, methodological approach and pragmatic concern have been important to a wide variety of communication research concerns (1994: 167). Employing network analysis for an investigation into travel information exchanges among people reliant on a computer-mediated environment across the Internet is the result of research for the National Certificate in Heritage Tourism (NCHT) that was implemented at Vista University for a limited period from 1999 to 2001. During the research period for this certificate course (1996-1998) the Internet was an invaluable source of information. A website of note proved to be that of Lonely Planet, in particular the Thorn Tree which is an electronic discussion board. At the start of the research period for the NCHT-course in 1996, electronic discussion boards such as the Thorn Tree were relatively new phenomena.

Chapter One Introduction
1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Development of theoretical frameworks
4. Research problem.
5. Aim of this study
6. Research design
7. Research methodology
8. This study: outline, limitations and structure
8.1 Outline
8.2 Exclusions
8.3 Structure
Chapter Two Literature Review and Theoretical Framework
1. Introduction
2. Context: the Internet as medium.
2.1 Physical aspects: the Internet and WWW
2.2 Communication medium and a means to form social networks.
2.3 Scholarly interest
2.3.1 Studying the Internet: key concepts
2.3.2 Trends in the study of the Internet
4. Social capital.
4.1 Developing a new concept
4.2 Complexities and main issues
4.2.1 Reciprocity and trust
4.2.2 Different forms: bonding and bridging
4.3 Travel information as a resource
5. Conclusion
Chapter Three Research Methodology
1. Introduction
2. Studying online communities: choosing a methodology
2.1 Background
2.2 Premises of this study and the choice of method
2.3 What is social network analysis?
3. Methodological concepts
3.1 Network analysis: concepts and the area of study
3.2 Concepts and the case study
3.3 Social network properties and the research technique
3.3.1 Actors, ties and nodes
3.3.2 Subgraph and cliques
3.3.3 Mode
3.3.4 Graphs and visualisation
3.3.5 Walks, trails and geodesic distance
3.3.6 Degree (indegree and outdegree), centrality and closeness
3.4 Software applications
3.5 Descriptive statistical methods: concepts and this study
3.5.1 Population, census
3.5.2 Measurements
3.5.3 Mean
3.5.4 Median
3.5.5 Mode
3.5.6 Proportion
3.5.7 Minimum and maximum
3.5.8 Deviation
3.5.9 Charts, histograms and other graphic illustrations
3.5.10 Correlation
3.5.11 Censored observations
3.5.12 Survival analysis
4. This study: issues of measurement
4.1 Boundary specification
4.2 Sampling
4.3 Reliability and validity
5. This study: methods
5.1 Acquiring data
5.1.1 wwwoffle
5.1.2 wget
5.2 Preparing data for analysis
5.3 Extracting the data
5.4 Internal data integrity checks
5.5 Estimating uncertainty of data
6. This study: calculations and measurements
6.1 Descriptive statistical calculations and this dataset
6.2 Network analysis, methods and this dataset
7. Final remarks and conclusion
Chapter Four An Analysis of the Africa Category
1. Introduction
2. A descriptive analysis
2.1 Number of replies
2.2 Duration of threads
2.3 Replies versus views
2.4 Ratio of replies to views
2.5 Message length
2.6 Summary of the descriptive analysis
3. A network perspective on the Africa category
3.1 One-mode analysis of poster-replier
3.1.1 Univariate statistics
3.1.2 No replies and unconnected actors
3.1.3 Reciprocity, transitivity and centrality
3.1.4 Clique analysis
3.2 Ego analysis of selected actors
3.2.1 Ego network map for Dayo
3.2.2 Ego network map for dysfunctional
3.2.3 Ego network map for NgaDef
3.2.4. Ego network map for JayDawg
3.2.5. Ego-network map for micksailor
3.2.6 Concluding remarks regarding noted actors
3.3 Two-mode perspective
3.3.1 Events
3.3.2 Actors
3.4 Selected threads and actors
3.4.1 The “More acolades Africa Branch!” thread
3.4.2 The “What do you miss about Africa?” thread
3.4.3 The “African ethnic features” thread
3.5 Common threads: NgaDef, Dayo, dysfunctional and Micksailor
4. Conclusion
Chapter Five Conclusion
1. Introduction
2. Summary
3. Discussion
3.1 Methodological reflection
3.2 Substantive reflection
3.3 Scientific reflection
4. Recommendations
4.1 Policy and practice
4.2 Further research
5. A final remark
Bibliography

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TRAVEL INFORMATION EXCHANGES IN A COMPUTER-MEDIATED ENVIRONMENT: A SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS OF THE AFRICA CATEGORY ON THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE BRANCH OF THE THORN TREE