Page 242 - ISC PROCEEDINGS 21.4

EXPLORING GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL
MEDIA INTERACTION ON TRAVEL EXPERIENCE SATISFACTION AMONG
DOMESTIC TOURISTS IN VIETNAM

1
2
3
4
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao* , Dang Thao Chi , Pham Mai Linh , Phan Bao Tram ,
Luu Ngoc Linh 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 National Economics University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
(*E-mail: thapnp1905@neu.edu.vn)

ABSTRACT
The rapid growth of social media has significantly impacted the construction and
assessment of tourism experience. Previous studies have primarily examined the pre-trip
and during-trip stages, while the post-trip stage is still an understudied area, especially
with regard to different levels of social media engagement and generational differences.
This research intends to explore the effects of different levels of post-trip social media
engagement on travel satisfaction from different generational groups. This research
adopted a qualitative research method by conducting in-depth interviews with 20
Vietnamese domestic tourists from five different generational groups. Based on the
COBRA model, the level of social media engagement is divided into three dimensions:
content, contribution, and creation. The results show that there is a significant difference
between the intensity of engagement and the role it plays in the construction of post-trip
satisfaction across different generations. For instance, the older generation shows limited
interaction, with their satisfaction being rooted only in their offline travel experience. On
the other hand, younger generations show high engagement, where their interactions
with social media play an active role in the construction of their emotions and post-trip
satisfaction. This research extends the COBRA model by showing the contingent outcome
of engagement, especially across different generations, and contributes to the
reconceptualization of the tourism experience as a hybrid process.
Keywords: Social media interactions, travel experience, satisfaction, generational
groups, domestic tourism in Vietnam.

1. Introduction
In terms of digital transformation in society, social media is an integral part of the
tourism experience that not only influences how tourists access information but also how
they interpret and share their tourism experiences. Previous studies have confirmed that
social media is a critical element in influencing tourists' perceptions and decision-making
processes (Xiang & Gretzel, 2010), as well as an interactive medium through which
tourists reconstruct experiences (Gretzel et al., 2021).
In addition, recent studies have found that social media interactions in relation to
post-trip experiences enhance tourists' positive emotions and experience (Kim &
Fesenmaier, 2017; Liang et al., 2021). However, despite the increasing body of literature
on social media in tourism experiences, there are three significant aspects that need to be
addressed:
First, the post-trip phase is still an understudied area compared to the pre- or
during-trip phases. Second, the interactions on social media are considered an
undifferentiated construct, with limited emphasis on the varying degrees of interactions.

241