Social media influencers’ visual framing of Iran on YouTube

ABSTRACT

While previous studies have investigated the role of YouTube videos in producing and representing tourist destinations, they have rarely focused on how social media influencers (SMIs) frame specific destinations. SMIs constitute significant contributors to destination image, yet tourism scholars have not fully explored their persuasive power in framing destinations and affecting potential travellers. This article explores how Iran is framed as a travel destination by SMIs on YouTube by utilizing visual framing theory. As a country subject to both unfavourable framing by Western mainstream media and positive images by SMIs and YouTubers, Iran represents an interesting case study as a destination produced in the cyberworld with multiple and contrasting images and representations. Methodologically, the study integrates netnography and narrative analysis to examine the content of ten travel videos produced by international SMIs. The analysis and interpretation of the visual material unveil the multiple ways of framing Iran by SMIs, which tend to humanize Iran and Iranians, emphasize the country's culture and history, and attribute the misconceptions and fear about Iran to the current global and local political climate. Theoretically, this study advances our understanding of destination image through visual framing theory, which has rarely been applied to explore travel videos.

KEYWORDS:

• Visual Framing Theory
• Iranian Tourism
• Netnography
• YouTube
• Social Media Influencers
• Destination Image

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Taylor's University Malaysia supported this work through its TAYLOR'S RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP Programme. This paper partially has been funded by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor's University, Malaysia.

Notes on contributors

Pooya Saeidi Motahar

Pooya Saeidi Motahar is a fourth-year tourism and hospitality PhD student at Taylor's University, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events. He received a bachelor's degree in tourism management from Limkokwing University in Cyberjaya, Malaysia and a dual master's degree in international hospitality management from Taylor's University and Toulouse University in Subang Jaya, Malaysia. His research interests include social media, visual content and destination image.

Rokhshad Tavakoli

Rokhshad Tavakoli is an Iranian woman who holds a PhD in Tourism and Hospitality Management. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Tourism, College of Art and Social Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. She contributed to two main areas of tourism research – first, gender studies in tourism and tourists’ behaviour, mainly Muslim Women. Second, 2D & 3D social networks, virtual and augmented reality in tourism. Ethnography and netnography are her research approaches.

Paolo Mura

Paolo Mura is an Associate Professor in Tourism and Assistant Dean for Research and Outreach in the College of Communication and Media Sciences, Zayed University, UAE. His area of research explores tourist experiences and behaviour, including gendered experiences and representations in tourism, travelling subcultures, expressions of art in tourism, and critical and qualitative approaches to tourism research.