A PolyU study reveals that when tourists decide what photographs to take and share with others, they are engaging in “impression management” involving the presentation of an “ideal self”.

The rise of social media undoubtedly blurs the boundary between tourism and everyday life. Tourist photography is becoming more about creating social ties than simply recording memories. To explore the role of “impression management” in the production of online tourist photography, Dr Iris Lo and her supervisor, Prof. Bob McKercher from the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, conducted an in-depth analysis of travel and photography practices.

The participants were 13 Hong Kong residents aged between 18 and 35, who had travelled outside Hong Kong in the past two years and had posted travel photos on social media sites. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews to explore the subjects’ travel photos, comments from viewers and background information from social networking sites such as Facebook, as well as their travel experiences and memories while viewing their photos online.

The study highlighted that through the photo selection process, tourists become engaged in a constant comparison and re-evaluation of their performance and find themselves in a constant dilemma about who to satisfy in finding themselves. According to Dr Lo, tourists have “present, future and imagined audiences” in mind when taking photos. Photography has long been used as a means for travellers to record where they have been and, more importantly, to present their extraordinary selves to others.

Posting photos on social media involves a five-stage process: pre-production, on-site production, post-production of offline or online editing, distribution, and the critiquing and reception of post-posting dissonance. The study also showed that “impression management” was quite evident at the on-site production stage (in deciding what photos to take, and how much time and effort to spend searching for the best images or best framing shots) and was the most important concern at the post-production stage (when photos are selected to present an acceptable version of reality, to be viewed not only by oneself in the future, but also by an online audience).

The development of digital photography and communication technology has certainly transformed the relationship between traveller and audience; even while travelling, tourists are aware of a potentially wide audience for their photographs in regardless of their geographical distance and want to present themselves in the best light possible. The process of selecting photos, comparing performance with others and interpreting the audience’s reaction can also shape the traveller’s sense of the extraordinary and represent an opportunity to enhance their “ideal self”. ♦