Cristina Miguel

This paper explores how the increasing professionalization of the short-term rental market (previously dominated by individual hosts) fosters the implementation of formal quality standards in the sector. It is based on 36 in-depth interviews conducted with different stakeholders of the short-term rental industry in six European countries, namely, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the UK, and at EU level. The article maps different initiatives that outline some quality standards for short-term rentals. We found first, that to implement quality standardisation, it is important to distinguish between private and professional hosts; and, second, that consensus must be reached on: (1) whether quality would be standardised at national or EU level; (2) which governing body should be responsible for quality certifications (e.g., governments or private institutions as in the case of ISO standards); and (3) identification of practices that should be certified (e.g., property facilities/amenities, size, health & safety protection, etc.).

Short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb have enjoyed considerable success in recent years. However, critics accuse the platforms of having negative impacts, leading to gentrification, disruption, and increased rent and house prices. While research has investigated actual impacts of short-term rental platforms, we lack systematic, generalizable, and comparative evidence on the perceived impacts of such platforms, especially from a social exchange perspective and on a country level. To address these shortcomings, we conducted a representative survey in the US and UK with a holistic set of perceived impacts. Using social exchange theory (SET) and applying a range of multi-variate statistical analyses, such as exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis and discriminant analysis, we systematically compare these two contexts. The findings indicate that US residents assess short-term rental platforms more positively than UK residents, especially for recreational, amenitiesoriented and economic impacts. Among respondents who have used short-term rental platforms as guests, the perceptions are more alike between the two countries, suggesting a homogenization effect. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the results.

The purpose of this study is to better understand the processes
and procedures adopted by micro-influencers to create
‘instagrammable’ content. It is based on 17 in-depth interviews
with foodie micro-influencers based in London and Barcelona.
Interview data was complemented with participant observation in
restaurants or cafes. This paper makes three original
contributions. Firstly, the study expands the understanding of the
concept of ‘instagrammability’ by approaching it from the
perspective of influencers creating content to satisfy and/or grow
an audience. Secondly, it illustrates how two dominant factors
drive influencers’ content creation process: the self/audience
focus content branding orientation. The ‘audience-focus’ content
development process varied drastically, with some influencers
being very conscious of responding to their audiences’ needs
whereas others maintained first and foremost a very strong ‘selffocus’.
However, even for the influencers who were the most
responsive to their audiences’ perceived wishes, a sense of ‘selffocus’
was maintained as an anchor point in all developed
content, often linked to a passion for a certain type of food.
Thirdly, this paper maps and describes the behind-the-scenes
content creation process adopted by micro-influencers, including
four stages (1) Content Planning, (2) Media Gathering, (3) Editing,
and (4) Publishing, which was followed by an engagement phase.
This study offers a timely contribution to better comprehend the
content creation cycle adopted by micro-influencers by using
foodie influencers as a case study.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the dynamics of mutual engagement within the foodie influencer communities of practice created via Instagram. The study is based on 20 in-depth interviews with foodie Instagrammers. Findings demonstrate that unlike other communities of practice, rather than competing among themselves, foodies learn from each other, exchange tips, help those starting out in the field and attend events together. Close collaboration also leads to the formation of strong friendship bonds. However, findings show that whilst authenticity of content is deemed important, elements of influencer engagement are artificially orchestrated within their own community of practice. These findings have implications for marketing professionals in terms of evaluating influencers' engagement authenticity and the selection criteria they consider with regard to targeting appropriate and specific influencers to work with.

Contingency plans and crisis management strategies have been implemented by the short-term rental industry to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines the strategies adopted by three key groups of stakeholders: short-term rental platforms (e.g. Airbnb, Booking.com), service providers (represented by property management companies and short-term rental associations) and policymakers/tourism experts. The professional service providers, in particular, constitute a significant share of the short-term rental industry, but have not received much scholarly attention. In this respect, our study fills this gap by bringing attention to unexplored segments of the short-term rental industry. By examining and comparing the responses from these key groups, the paper contributes to the ongoing research about the workings of the short-term rental industry and its responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

Purpose
Adopting Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour theoretical framework, this paper aims to explore repurchase intentions among short-term rental users and changes in determinants of repurchase intention in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach
Data for the research was collected via a cross-country quantitative survey (N = 1,433) in five European countries: Croatia, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK during 2020. Trust, perceived value, authenticity and perceived risk were incorporated into the structural equation model as part of an integrated analysis of antecedents of repurchase intention.

Findings
Perceived value and authenticity are the key drivers of a positive attitude to repurchase of short-term rentals even after the pandemic. The pandemic modified the role of perceived risk in determining attitude towards short-term rentals as perceived risks could negatively affect attitude and repurchase intention after COVID-19. Trust in the platform and the host became a significant determinant of repurchase intentions after the spread of COVID-19.

Research limitations/implications
The analysis has shown the link between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and repurchase intention, and has thus demonstrated a successful application of the theory of planned behaviour to short-term rental users.

Originality/value
The results of this study suggest a possible reconceptualisation of repurchase determinants due to the pandemic. The study offers a timely contribution to the research on the impact of the pandemic on the determinants of tourists’ repurchase intentions.

In Iran, social media platforms have become powerful tools for political and inter-personal communication. They open new ways for their users, particularly women, to negotiate their intimate relationships with their family, (potential) partners or friends. Intimacy online is usually achieved through reciprocal visual and textual self-disclosure, which in turn may lead to face-to-face encounters. For Muslim Iranian women, social media allows room for self-expression, a way to combat loneliness and create meaningful relationships with like-minded people. However, at the same time, women are confronted by a number of risks associated with social media interaction in Iran, such as censorship, online (sexual) harassment, or cybercrime.Based on in-depth interviews and participant observation with Muslim Iranian women in Tehran, this paper explores the extent to which social media platforms (blogs, Facebook and dat-ing sites) have created both challenges and opportunities for Muslim Iranian women by transforming the ways in which they create and maintain intimate relationships online.

This study explores the perceived impacts of short-term rentals (STRs) in the United Kingdom through a quantitative analysis. A 57-item questionnaire covering socio-cultural, economic, political, environmental, and technological impacts of STRs was distributed online among guests, hosts, and aware non-users. Apart from descriptive statistics, the data analysis encompassed a principal component analysis to explore the dimensionality of the perceived impacts and an ANOVA to assess differences in the community-related dimensions among the included groups. The results reveal that: a) STRs are perceived relatively ambivalently but slightly more positively than negatively; b) Environmental Care, Urban Transformation, Social Capital and Lifestyle, Housing, Infrastructure and Events, and Antisocial Behaviour and Crime are the key dimensions of perceived impact; and c) more involved stakeholder groups perceived the impacts of STRs positively. We discuss the findings in light of community resilience literature.

Fashion has been a motivator for Internet use for a long time, with fashion blogs starting to appear in 2002 (Rocamora, 2012). Users post content they deem fashionable on social media, using hashtags and giving style advice to appear fashionable whilst following and taking photos of others (street style fashion blogging) for inspiration (Dolbec et al., 2015). In particular, Instagram is commonly used to follow fashion trends (Phua et al., 2017). Instagram state that users who like to upload fashion images were amongst the earliest people using the platform and that they consume five times as many photos as other users (Instagram, 2016). This research project analyses the motivations of users to follow and interact with fashion brands on Instagram and Snapchat. This chapter explores the motivations to use Instagram and Snapchat by Generation Z, identifying primary reasons young users interact, create content and connect with brands on these platforms. Secondly, the study investigates fashion online branding strategies and users’ engagement with fashion brands on these types of social media. The chapter focuses on two case studies: ASOS and Topshop, two popular fashion brands in the UK. Using content analysis and two focus groups, the sample included 14 British users (aged 19-24 years old), who belong to the so-called Generation Z (16-24 years old), since they are the most active social media users in the UK (Statista, 2018).

Life documentation, peer-surveillance, self-presentation, and fashion inspiration appeared as significant social media use motivators. Participants perceived Instagram as a space for exhibiting their best photos and gaining fashion inspiration from brand publics (Arvidsson and Caliandro, 2016), whereas Snapchat was used for channeling more intimate content, especially via distorted instant photos. Both platforms were used to monitor what their friends’ post, what Abretchslund (2008) labels participatory surveillance. The identified underlying motivations to interact with fashion brands via Instagram and Snapchat included self-branding, fashion inspiration, and entertainment. Brands can encourage followers to interact with them in a number of ways on Instagram and Snapchat, for instance launching a competition using hashtags (Chaney, 2016), creating Snapchat filters (Cicero, 2015), offering style advice from in-house stylists or collaborating with influencers (Uzunoglu and Kip, 2014). On Instagram, participants post pictures (and use filters) to show off when they are somewhere exciting, as well as fashion brands tags to show off what they have bought. According to most participants, their images on Instagram are designed to make followers envious and engage with the photo, seeking instant gratification through likes and comments. The study shows that Generation Z perceives Instagram as a brand discovery platform and a tool for self-promotion, keeping their accounts public to reach larger audiences. Conversely, they use Snapchat to post less staged content to entertain their friends and communicate at more intimate level since most participants had their Snapchat accounts set to private. The interaction with brands was through the use of geofilters that had to be funny, in line with the informal and entertaining nature of the communication they engage in the platform.

The term 'digital nomad' has gained popularity to describe professionals who work remotely from different locations facilitated by using information and communication technology. This study explores the interaction between digital nomadism and loneliness, digital nomads' coping mechanisms to fight loneliness (with a special focus on social media use), as well as the phenomenon of fear of missing out (FoMO). Digital nomads who often experience isolation may turn to the use of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram to keep in contact with family and friends and other social media like Facebook groups, Slack, and MeetUp to meet new people. However, intensive use of social media can generate FoMO. By using 15 in-depth interviews, this paper aims to explore loneliness and FoMO as issues that might negatively intersect with digital nomads' wellbeing, thus spotlighting some of the hidden dark sides of digital nomadism that go too often unnoticed.

The principles of the sharing economy, initially linked with ethical consumption (sustainability), are the base for new Internet business models. One argument that sharing economy companies often use to promote their sustainable ethos relates to the empowerment of individuals to generate revenue with existing assets and to democratise tourism by offering affordable accommodation. From an economic perspective, the sharing economy lowers marketplace transaction costs. This is achieved via a more efficient production of output, with the same level of assets and labour. From a business perspective, digital transformation involves new challenges and opportunities in two key areas: the customer value proposition (what is being offered) and the operating model (how it is delivered). Digital business models are distinct from traditional ones as they can be reproduced for an almost zero marginal cost. These advantages over traditional business models are making regulators and key stakeholders of the industries affected concerned about the legal and economic implications around these new business models. Also, the disruptive nature of the sharing economy business models in the hospitality industry and in the wider society is receiving increasing interest from consumers, and attention from policymakers and academics. Yet our understanding of behavioural patterns that match the ethical versus individualistic motivations when participating in this type of exchange, as well as the wider implication of the sharing economy in society, remain an understudied field. In this paper, we discuss the impact of Airbnb in the hospitality industry and housing market as well as access-based ethical consumption practices of Airbnb. We analyse the disruptive nature of this new business model in the hospitality industry and housing market, where we identify wider economical, ethical, regulatory, and social implications. In particular, this project examines the ethics of the sharing economy, focusing on Airbnb as a case study, in two major European touristic cities: London and Barcelona. By using both quantitative (big data) and qualitative (focus groups and interviews) methods, this research project explores the impact of Airbnb at a macro-level (social, economic, legal and ethical) and at a micro-level (guest, hosts and non-users). This paper discusses the concept of the “sharing economy” and its relationships to a form of collaborative consumption and analyses to what extent Airbnb is considered as part of ethical consumption. This study will inform local and EU policy makers and beyond.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought international tourism at a standstill.  Peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation, in particular, has been greatly affected with platforms being heavily criticised for lacking a strategic response to users’ needs.  Drawing from the perspectives of P2P accommodation hosts, this study aims to explore: a) their perceptions of the short-term impacts of the pandemic on their hosting practice, b) their responses to the pandemic and c) the long-term perspectives of the pandemic on the P2P accommodation sector.  Specifically, the study offers a continuum of host pandemic responses which illustrates different types of hosts in relation to their market perspective and intention to continue hosting on P2P platforms. The continuum carries theoretical implications as it offers insights to academics exploring crisis impacts on P2P accommodation.  It is also of practical value to platforms and practitioners as it may lead to improved crisis management strategies.

The sharing economy aims to redistribute existing goods (e.g., tools, cars) across the population in order to maximise their functionality. Within sharing economies, there can be monetary exchange (e.g., Airbnb, BlaBlaCar), or the exchange can be altruistic (e.g., Timebanking, CouchSurfing). Nevertheless, sharing economy platforms mainly function as digital marketplaces where supply and demand are matched. The rise of sharing economy practices is followed by a torrent of publications. As a result, there is conceptual confusion about the sharing economy concept. This chapter aims to provide an answer to this challenge by following the framework for theoretical meaningfulness. Through two levels of literature analysis, the chapter aims to shed light on the conceptualisation of the sharing economy.