Dr. Cody Morris ParisMiddlesex University Dubai

Edward Alexander BergerUniversity of Copenhagen

Simon Rubin & Mallory Casson

Recent work on

technology and

travel…Mobilities and

New technologies…

Social Affordances

Personal experience…

What happens when we

are disconnected?

The nearly ubiquitous spread of smart phones, portable computers, and social media and networking technologies marks a fundamental shift in the way we travel and the world in which we travel

We are also seeing a blurring of traditional binaries of tourism research…home/away, present/absent, connected/disconnected, leisure/work, etc. (Hannam, Butler, & Paris, 2014)

Forms of virtual,

imaginative, and

mediated travel

considered ‘new’

(Urry, 2000) only a

decade ago, are now

quite ordinary to a

large majority of

individuals.

“Mobility Nexus” of Travel and Communication• Mobile devices allow travelers to toggle back and forth

between various forms of mediated and physical co-presence with distant social networks.

Tourists today spend much of their time immersed in hybrid spaces of in-betweeness…

Creating and maintaining

co-presence is now an

important part of the travel

experience (White and

White, 2007)

Mobile devices and social

media afford an individual’s

social networks with a

‘surveilling gaze’ through

which they can follow,

watch, monitor, and track

tourists virtually from a

distance (Germann Molz &

Paris)

Shared virtual intimacy can sometimes be troublesome, emotionally disruptive (White and White, 2007), and generate feelings of discomfort and claustrophobia (Crawford, 2009).

Constant connectivity has enhanced the sense of obligation for tourists to maintain a normative level of presence, attention, and intimacy with their friends and family (Larsen et al., 2007).

‘expectation of availability’….’crackberry’…overwork.

As this connectivity is based upon a physical

infrastructure of hardware and software, sometimes

tourists are disconnected from their virtual networks as

they travel through ‘technological dead zones’ (Pearce

and Gretzel, 2012).

This forced or unexpected disconnection can cause

anxiety and distress, both for tourists and their virtual

networks.

But, for some of the ‘hypermobile elite’, being

‘unplugged’ and denied mobility is intolerable,

particularly when not by choice.

Technology Addiction• Videogames, Internet.

• Recent focus on Smart Phones

High Smart phone use vs Smart Phone

‘involvement’

Smart Phone Addiction• Habit forming tendencies…

For many it’s not as simple as ‘just turning

it off’…

Three Prompts sent to ‘tech-savvy’ travelers. • 1) Share a story or experience about how technology

(ex. mobile or social media) has disrupted or separated you from the ‘travel experience’,

• 2) Share a story or experience from traveling in a ‘technology deadzone’ where you were disconnected from your online social networks,

• 3) Have you ever ‘unplugged’ by choice while traveling? Why? Please share a story.

Snowball Sampling, through email and Facebook primarily in August 2013.

Analysis of responses through multi-stage process of coding/thematic analysis by the authors.

25 individuals 13 Men, 12 Women. Age

• 21-30 years old (11)• 31-40 years old (8)• 41-50 years old (2)• 51+ years old (4)

Nationality• 16 US/Canada• 5 European• 2 Australian• 2 Latin America

Required that all are self-identified ‘heavy’ users of social media and mobile devices and bloggers.

About 50% earn a living as travel bloggers

Pearce and Gretzel’s Technology Induced

Tensions (influential in undertaking of the

study)

Young’s criteria for Internet Addiction

(emergent….based on the language used

by respondents…)

Young’s (1998) criteria/’indications of addiction’ These are:

• Preoccupation – constantly thinking about past/future use.• Increased use - more and more time required to reach

satisfaction. • Inability to stop – cannot reduce/halt use internet services. • Withdrawal symptoms – noticeable impact on mood and state of

mind.• Lost sense of time – regularly lose track of time and important

deadlines.• Risky behaviors – jeopardizes key professional or personal

relationships.• Lies – use of deception to hide extent of time spent online.• Escapism – excessive use of internet to avoid real-life problems.

The clothing line developed by designer Kunihiko Morinaga

includes jackets, shirts and pants made out of material that will

block radio waves from reaching your smartphone.

Technological advancements have provided us with greater tools, opportunities, and affordances.

But, these need to be critical examined and also individually reflected upon.

Negotiating Dis(connection), intimacy, home/away, reduced anonymity, ‘safety-net’, work obligations, ‘constant presence’, surveilling gazes.

Implications for Industry Personal Travel as one dimension of wider

personal/social mobilities…Geographically independent lifestyles…’global citizens’….etc

Germann Molz, J. & Paris, C. (2013)

Social Affordances of Flashpacking:

Exploring the Mobility Nexus of Travel and

Communication. Mobilities

Hannam, K. Butler, G. & Paris, C. (2014).

Developments and Key Issues in Tourism

Mobilities. Annals of Tourism Research.

44, 171-185. (Section on Technology).

c.paris@mdx.ac