The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to reframe interactions among tourists, destinations, and service providers in multiple ways. Yet, there is scant empirical evidence on how individuals develop their relationships with IoT devices and how this technology can serve tourists in planning and deciding on particular destinations or services. Drawing on the assemblage theory, we investigated tourists’ interactive experiences when planning trips with and without smart speakers. Methodologically, we employed an interactionist/performative approach that included three qualitative studies to examine tourists’ information production, expressive roles, and information processing styles during interactions with smart speakers in the pre-visit stage. The analysis was driven by grounded theory and utilized computerized psycholinguistic techniques to enrich our research implications for theory, methodology, and tourism management.
AldiabatK.Le NavenecC.-L.2011. “Philosophical Roots of Classical Grounded Theory: Its Foundations in Symbolic Interactionism.” The Qualitative Report16 (4): 1063–80.
2.
BaudrillardJ.1983. Simulations. New York, NY: Semiotext(e), Inc.
3.
BelkR. W.1988. “Possessions and the Extended Self.” Journal of Consumer Research15 (2): 139–68.
4.
BogostI.2012. Alien Phenomenology, or, What It’s Like to Be a Thing. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
5.
BoltonR. N.McColl-KennedyJ. R.CheungL.GallanA.OrsingherC.WitellL.ZakiM.2018. “Customer Experience Challenges: Bringing Together Digital, Physical and Social Realms.” Journal of Service Management29 (5): 776–808.
6.
BorgmannA.2007. “A Neo-Heideggerian Critique of Technology.” In Pragmatism as Post-Postmodernism, edited by HickmanL. A., 99–111. New York, NY: Fordham University Press.
7.
BuhalisD.HarwoodT.BogicevicV.VigliaG.BeldonaS.HofackerC.2019. “Technological Disruptions in Services: Lessons From Tourism and Hospitality.” Journal of Service Management30 (4): 484–506.
8.
BuhalisD.MoldavskaI.2021. “In-Room Voice-Based AI Digital Assistants Transforming On-Site Hotel Services and Guests’ Experiences.” In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2021, edited by WörndlW.KooC.StienmetzJ. L., 30–44. Cham: Springer.
9.
CalvinB.LewisA.2005. “Focus Groups on Consumers’ Ethical Beliefs.” In Ethical Consumer, edited by RobH.NewholmT.ShawD., 173–87. London: SAGE Publications.
10.
ChoiS.LehtoX. Y.MorrisonA. M.JangS.2012. “Structure of Travel Planning Processes and Information Use Patterns.” Journal of Travel Research51 (1): 26–40.
11.
ClarkA. E.SeminG. R.2008. “Receivers’ Expectations for Abstract vs. Concrete Construal: Evidence for Conversational Relevance as a Determinant of Construal Level.” Journal of Language and Social Psychology27 (2): 155–67.
12.
CohnM. A.MehlM. R.PennebakerJ. W.2004. “Linguistic Markers of Psychological Change Surrounding September 11, 2001.” Psychological Science15:687–93.
13.
De CremerD.NguyenB.SimkinL.2017. “The Integrity Challenge of the Internet-of-Things (IoT): On Understanding Its Dark Side.” Journal of Marketing Management33 (1–2): 145–58.
14.
DecropA.1999. “Triangulation in Qualitative Tourism Research.” Tourism Management20:157–61.
15.
DecropA.SneldersD.2004. “Planning the Summer Vacation. An Adaptable Process.” Annals of Tourism Research31 (4): 1008–30.
16.
DeLandaM.2016. Assemblage Theory. Edinburgh: Edinburg University Press.
17.
DirksmeierP.HelbrechtI.2008. “Time, Non–Representational Theory and the “Performative Turn”–Towards a New Methodology in Qualitative Social Research.” Forum: Qualitative Social Research9 (2): 1–15. doi:10.17169/fqs-9.2.385
FournierS.1998. “Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research.” Journal of Consumer Research24 (4): 343–53.
20.
GlaserB. G.StraussA. L.1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago, IL: Aldine.
21.
GretzelU.SigalaM.XiangZ.KooC.2015. “Smart Tourism: Foundations and Developments.” Electronic Markets25 (3): 179–88.
22.
GrigolonA.KempermanA.TimmermansH.2013. “Facet-Based Analysis of Vacation Planning Processes: A Binary Mixed Logit Panel Model.” Journal of Travel Research52 (2): 192–201.
23.
HarawayD.1990. “A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the 1980s.” In Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by NicholsonL. J., 190–233. New York, NY: Routledge.
24.
HartJ.1999. The Art of the Storyboard: Storyboarding for Film, Television, and Animation. Woburn: Focal Press.
25.
HoffmanD. L.NovakT. P.2018. “Consumer and Object Experience in the Internet of Things: An Assemblage Theory Approach.” Journal of Consumer Research44 (6): 1178–204.
26.
HoyerW. D.KroschkeM.SchmittB.KraumeK.ShankarV.2020. “Transforming the Customer Experience Through New Technologies.” Journal of Interactive Marketing51: 57–71.
27.
HuangC. D.GooJ.NamK.YooC. W.2017. “Smart Tourism Technologies in Travel Planning: The Role of Exploration and Exploitation.” Information Management54 (6): 757–70.
28.
HydeK. F.2008. “Information Processing and Touring Planning Theory.” Annals of Tourism Research35 (3): 712–31.
29.
IoannouA.TussyadiahI.MillerG.2021. “That’s Private! Understanding Travelers’ Privacy Concerns and Online Data Disclosure.” Journal of Travel Research60 (7): 1510–26.
30.
JeongM.ShinH. H.2020. “Tourists’ Experiences With Smart Tourism Technology at Smart Destinations and Their Behavior Intentions.” Journal of Travel Research59 (8): 1464–77.
31.
Jiménez-BarretoJ.RubioN.MolinilloS.2021. “Find a Flight for Me Oscar! Motivational Customer Experiences With Chatbots.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management33 (11): 3860–82.
32.
Jiménez-BarretoJ.SthapitE.RubioN.CampoS.2019. “Exploring the Dimensions of Online Destination Brand Experience: Spanish and North American Tourists’ Perspectives.” Tourism Management Perspectives31: 348–60.
33.
KacewiczE.PennebakerJ. W.DavisM.JeonM.GraesserA. C.2014. “Pronoun Use Reflects Standings in Social Hierarchies.” Journal of Language and Social Psychology33 (2): 125–43.
34.
KimD.ParkK.ParkY.AhnJ. H.2019. “Willingness to Provide Personal Information: Perspective of Privacy Calculus in IoT Services.” Computers in Human Behavior92: 273–81.
35.
KimJ.ParkJ.LeeJ.KimS.Gonzalez-JimenezH.LeeJ.ChoiY. K.LeeJ. C.JangS.FranklinD., et al2022. “COVID-19 and Extremeness Aversion: The Role of Safety Seeking in Travel Decision Making.” Journal of Travel Research61:837–54. doi:10.1177/00472875211008252
36.
KowalczukP.2018. “Consumer Acceptance of Smart Speakers: A Mixed Methods Approach.” Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing12 (4): 418–31.
37.
LauJ.ZimmermanB.SchaubF.2018. “Alexa, Are You Listening? Privacy Perception, Concerns and Privacy–Seeking Behaviors With Smart Speakers.” Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction2:1–31. doi:10.1145/3274371
38.
LefebvreH.1991. The Production of Space. Malden, MA: Blackwell. Original work published in 1974.
39.
LibermanN.TropeY.1998. “The Role of Feasibility and Desirability Considerations in Near and Distant Future Decisions: A Test of Temporal Construal Theory.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology75:5–18.
40.
LoureiroS. M. C.JaputraA.MolinilloS.BilroR. G.2021. “Stand by Me: Analyzing the Tourist–Intelligent Voice Assistant Relationship Quality.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management33 (11): 3840–59.
41.
LuL.ZhangP.ZhangT.2021. “Leveraging “human-Likeness” of Robotic Service at Restaurants.” International Journal of Hospitality Management94:102823.
42.
LvX.LiuY.LuoJ.LiuY.LiC.2021. “Does a Cute Artificial Intelligence Assistant Soften the Blow? The Impact of Cuteness on Customer Tolerance of Assistant Service Failure.” Annals of Tourism Research87: 103114.
McLeanG.Osei-FrimpongK.2019. “Hey Alexa . . . Examine the Variables Influencing the Use of Artificial Intelligent In-Home Voice Assistants.” Computers in Human Behavior99: 28–37.
45.
MoutinhoL.1987. “Consumer Behaviour in Tourism.” European Journal of Marketing21:5–44.
46.
NewmanM. L.PennebakerJ. W.BerryD. S.RichardsJ. M.2003. “Lying Words: Predicting Deception From Linguistic Styles.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin29 (5): 665–75.
47.
NisbettR. E.PengK.ChoiI.NorenzayanA.2001. “Culture and Systems of Thought: Holistic Versus Analytic Cognition.” Psychological Review108 (2): 291–310.
48.
NovakT. P.HoffmanD. L.2019. “Relationship Journeys in the Internet of Things: A New Framework for Understanding Interactions Between Consumers and Smart Objects.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science47 (2): 216–37.
49.
PanB.FesenmaierD. R.2006. “Online Information Search: Vacation Planning Process.” Annals of Tourism Research33 (3): 809–32.
50.
PappasN.CaputoA.PellegriniM. M.MarziG.MichopoulouE.2021. “The Complexity of Decision-Making Processes and IoT Adoption in Accommodation SMEs.” Journal of Business Research131: 573–83.
51.
ParkK.KwakC.LeeJ.AhnJ. H.2018. “The Effect of Platform Characteristics on the Adoption of Smart Speakers: Empirical Evidence in South Korea.” Telematics and Informatics35 (8): 2118–32.
52.
PennebakerJ. W.2011. The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Press/Bloomsbury Publishing.
53.
PennebakerJ. W.BoydR. L.JordanK.BlackburnK.2015. The Development and Psychometric Properties of LIWC2015. Austin, TX: University of Texas at Austin.
54.
PennebakerJ. W.ChungC. K.FrazeeJ.LavergneG. M.BeaverD. I.2014. “When Small Words Foretell Academic Success: The Case of College Admissions Essays.” PLoS One9 (12): e115844.
55.
RomeroJ.Ruiz-EquihuaD.LoureiroS. M. C.CasalóL. V.2021. “Smart Speaker Recommendations: Impact of Gender Congruence and Amount of Information on Users’ Engagement and Choice.” Frontiers in Psychology12:659994.
56.
SaldañaJ.2013. The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. 2nd ed.London: SAGE.
57.
SmithE. R.SeminG. R.2004. “Socially Situated Cognition: Cognition in Its Social Context.” Advances in Experimental Social Psychology36:53–117.
58.
SofieldT. H.MarafaL. M.2019. “Revitalizing Fieldtrips in Tourism: Visual Anthropology, Photo Elicitation, Rapid Appraisal, Participant Observation and Habermas.” Tourism Management75: 522–46.
ThriftN.DewsburyJ. D.2000. “Dead Geographies—And How to Make Them Live.” Environment and Planning D Society and Space18 (4): 411–32.
65.
TungV. W. S.AuN.2018. “Exploring Customer Experiences With Robotics in Hospitality.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management30 (7): 2680–97.
66.
TussyadiahI.MillerG.2019. “Nudged by a Robot: Responses to Agency and Feedback.” Annals of Tourism Research78: 102752.
XiangZ.StienmetzJ.FesenmaierD. R.2021. “Smart Tourism Design: Launching the Annals of Tourism Research Curated Collection on Designing Tourism Places.” Annals of Tourism Research86: 103154.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
