“Ask Google Assistant Where to Travel” Tourists’ Interactive Experiences With Smart Speakers: An Assemblage Theory Approach

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Journal of Travel Research

Publication Date

5-6-2022

Abstract

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.

ISSN

0047-2875

Publisher

SAGE Publications

First Page

004728752210940

Last Page

004728752210940

Disciplines

Tourism and Travel

Keywords

Internet of Things, tourist experience, planning a trip, assemblage theory, smart speakers, voice assistant

Scopus ID

85130026029

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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