Exploring social media as a tool for disentangling cultural ecosystem service values of whale-watching to inform environmental judgements and ethics

The case of Húsavík, Iceland

Bibliographic Data

ID21723968
AuthorsSílvia Gómez (0000-0001-5956-3367, SeaPeoplesLab-GRAFO and CER-Arctic, Dep. Antropologia Social, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, corresponding author), Beatriz Patraca (0000-0002-5815-2723, SeaPeoplesLab-GRAFO and CER-Arctic, Dep. Antropologia Social, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain), Jade Zoghbi (CER Arctic, Dep. Geografia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain), Eduard Ariza (0000-0002-2190-8662, CER Arctic, Dep. Geografia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain), Maria Wilke (0000-0001-6335-2351, Stefansson Arctic Institute and Dep. of Planning and Design, Agricultural University of Iceland, Iceland), Niels Einarsson (0000-0002-6602-6540, Stefansson Arctic Institute, Iceland), Sveinbjörg Smáradóttir (Stefansson Arctic Institute, Iceland), Edward H Huijbens (0000-0003-1939-1286, Wageningen University & Research), Edward Huijbens (Cultural Geography Research Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands), Catherine Chambers (0000-0002-3465-0808, Stefansson Arctic Institute and University Center of the Westfjords, Iceland)
Year2024
Volume23
Issue3
Pages480-494
Publication date2024-07-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Ecotourism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1472-4049 • E-ISSN: 1747-7638
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14724049.2024.2308367
OpenAlexW4391360989
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited35

This explorative study contributes to developing methods using social media data and social network theory in tourism studies to unravel cultural ecosystem values. Focused on the case of an emblematic village for whale-watching activity, Húsavík, in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland, this study explores the cultural ecosystem service values of individuals as expressed through social media (TripAdvisor and Instagram) related to the practice of whale-watching. The aim is to document the cultural ecosystem service values and environmental judgements which provide information that could be used in future marine planning efforts. For this, 650 TripAdvisor entries posted between 2019 and 2021 were analysed, together with 100 images posted on Instagram between 2021 and 2022. The Social Network Analysis enabled visualization of the interconnected hashtag networks underscoring human-nature interactions. Instead of environmental and conservation values, the results show that they relate to ‘ocular consumption’ and ‘aesthetic consumption’. The lack of conservation values, cultural heritage values, or even spiritual values is likely a reflection of the Instagram and TripAdvisor platforms. We conclude that social media data should always be complementary to narrative and qualitative data

Business · Cultural values · Ecosystem · Ecosystem services · Ecotourism · Environmental ethics · Environmental resource management · Fishery · Geography · Social science · Sociology · Tourism · Whale · Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Environmental Science · Ecology · Marketing

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