Purpose – This study seeks to understand how the constitution of the traveler’s extended Self on social media has been shaped by the dematerialization of representations of tourism consumption.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative exploratory approach was adopted. Data were collected through a focus group and analyzed using content analysis techniques.
Findings – The results indicate that the traveler’s extended Self has adapted to behavioral changes mediated by social media. Moreover, the dematerialization of tourism consumption representations has significantly influenced how memories of travel experience are created, stored, and preserved.
Practical implications – The findings suggest that tourism destinations and companies in the sector should encourage the recording of authentic travel experiences, avoiding the production of content aimed solely at display on social media. In other words, they should foster the creation of genuine narratives and meaningful memories, while digital platforms can contribute by offering resources that ensure the long-term preservation of these memories.
Originality/value – This article contributes to consumer behavior studies in tourism by presenting a distinct perspective on the constitution of the traveler’s extended Self on social media, focusing on the current dematerialization of tourism consumption representations.
Research limitations – The exploratory nature of this study limits the generalization of the findings to the specific participants investigated. However, it serves as a starting point for future research seeking to broaden the understanding of the phenomenon.
Aroeira, T., Dantas, A. C., & Gosling, M. D. S. (2016). Memorable tourist experience, cognitive perception, reputation and loyalty to the destination: An empirical model. Turismo: Visão e Ação, 18(3), 584–610. http://doi.org/10.14210/rtva.v18n3.p584-610
Arcuri, A. G. (2016). O ritual de desmaterialização dos objetos singularizados e a transformação da relação pessoa-objeto [Tese de doutorado, Fundação Getulio Vargas]. https://hdl.handle.net/10438/16225
Bardin, L. (2016). Análise de conteúdo. Almedina Brasil.
Bauman, Z. (2008). Vida para consumo: A transformação das pessoas em mercadoria. Companhia das Letras.
Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 139–168. https://doi.org/10.1086/209154
Belk, R. W. (2013). Extended self in a digital world. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(3), 477–500. https://doi.org/10.1086/671052
Belk, R. (2016). Extended self and the digital world. Current Opinion in Psychology, 10, 50–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.11.003
Breathnach, T. (2006). Looking for the real me: Locating the self in heritage tourism. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 1(2), 100–120. https://doi.org/10.2167/jht009.0
Câmara, E., Pocinho, M., Agapito, D., & de Jesus, S. N. (2023). Meaningful experiences in tourism: A systematic review of psychological constructs. European Journal of Tourism Research, 34, 3403. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v34i.2964
Conti, E., & Lexhagen, M. (2020). Instagramming nature-based tourism experiences: A netnographic study of online photography and value creation. Tourism Management Perspectives, 34, 100650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100650
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2016). Métodos de pesquisa em administração (12ª ed.). McGraw-Hill Brasil.
De Sousa, D. A. L. T. O. N., De Rezende, D. C., Tonelli, D. F., & Veroneze, R. B. (2014). Materialismo, consumo e self estendido: Uma revisão de escopo. Recuperado de https://sistema.semead.com.br
Du, X., Liechty, T., Santos, C. A., & Park, J. (2022). “I want to record and share my wonderful journey”: Chinese Millennials’ production and sharing of short-form travel videos on TikTok or Douyin. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(21), 3412–3424. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1810212
Erfani, G. (2022). Reconceptualising sense of place: Towards a conceptual framework for investigating individual-community-place interrelationships. Journal of Planning Literature, 37(3), 452–466. https://doi.org/10.1177/08854122221081109
Fearing, F. (1954). Human communication: An introduction. University of California Press.
Flick, U. (2009). Uma introdução à pesquisa qualitativa (3ª ed.). Artmed.
Ganglmair-Wooliscroft, A., & Wooliscroft, B. (2014). “Part of me”: National parks integration into the extended self of domestic tourists. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 23(4), 360–379. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2013.768188
Gatti, B. A. (2005). Grupo focal na pesquisa em ciências sociais e humanas. In Grupo focal na pesquisa em ciências sociais e humanas (p. 77). https://doi.org/10.14393/REPOD-v3n2a2014-30290
Gil, A. C. (2007). Como elaborar projetos de pesquisa. Atlas.
Han, B.-C. (2022). Não-coisas: Reviravoltas do mundo da vida. Vozes.
Heersmink, R. (2020). Varieties of the extended self. Consciousness and Cognition, 85, 103001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2020.103001
Herrmann, L. (2012). A convergência midiática e as mudanças comportamentais no consumo do mercado de nicho: Netflix e a “desmaterialização” dos produtos. Animus: Revista Interamericana de Comunicação Midiática, 11(22). https://doi.org/10.5902/217549777080
Hernández, S. J. (2021). El turismo en la era digital: Las aplicaciones móviles como herramienta de innovación. https://ri.unsam.edu.ar/handle/123456789/1497
Hosseini, S., Cortes Macias, R., & Almeida Garcia, F. (2023). Memorable tourism experience research: A systematic review of the literature. Tourism Recreation Research, 48(3), 465–479. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1922206
James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology. Henry Holt.
Jelinčić, D. A., & Matečić, I. (2021). Broken but well: Healing dimensions of cultural tourism experiences. Sustainability, 13(2), 966. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020966
Kind, L. (2004). Notas para o trabalho com a técnica de grupos focais. Psicologia em Revista, 10(15), 124–136. Recuperado de http://periodicos.pucminas.br/index.php/psicologiaemrevista/article/view/202/213
Kleinheksel, A. J., Rockich-Winston, N., Tawfik, H., & Wyatt, T. R. (2020). Qualitative research in pharmacy education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84(1), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7113
Kossoy, B. (2021). Fotografia e história: As tramas da representação fotográfica. Projeto História, 70, 9–35. https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-2767.2021v70p9-35
Lee, C., Richardson, S., Goh, E., & Presbury, R. (2023). From the tourist gaze to a shared gaze: Exploring motivations for online photo-sharing in present-day tourism experience. Tourism Management Perspectives, 46, 101099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2023.101099
Lo, I. S., & McKercher, B. (2015). Ideal image in process: Online tourist photography and impression management. Annals of Tourism Research, 52, 104–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2015.02.019
Malhotra, N. K. (2011). Pesquisa de marketing: Foco na decisão (3ª ed.). Pearson.
Masset, J., & Decrop, A. (2021). Meanings of tourist souvenirs: From the holiday experience to everyday life. Journal of Travel Research, 60(4), 718–734. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520915284
Mateus, A. F., Caldevilla-Domínguez, D., & Barrientos-Báez, A. (2020). Redes sociais, comunicação digital e turismo. Revista Ibérica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informação, (E36), 577–595.
Oliveira, J. C. D., Penido, C. M. F., Franco, A. C. R., Santos, T. L. A. D., & Silva, B. A. W. (2022). Especificidades do grupo focal on-line: Uma revisão integrativa. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 27, 1813–1826. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232022275.11682021
Otto, J. E., & Ritchie, J. B. (1996). The service experience in tourism. Tourism Management, 17(3), 165–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/0261-5177(96)00003-9
Pena, M. S. M., & Brito, E. P. Z. (2021). Varejo em desmaterialização: Experiência da livraria nas dimensões física e virtual. Revista de Administração de Empresas, 61(6), e2019–0865. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-759020210603
Perlman, D. M. (2016). Are you the same? The impermanent self, in body and mind. The University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Schultz, D. E. (2014). Extending the extended self in the digital world. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 22(2), 143–146. http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679220207
Silva, M. J. D. B., Barbosa, M. D. L. D. A., Costa, M. F. D., & Gomes, J. D. P. (2020). Entre posse e acesso: Compreendendo a extensão do self no consumo colaborativo. Organizações & Sociedade, 27(93), 333–356. https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-9270939
Solomon, M. R. (2016). O comportamento do consumidor: Comprando, possuindo e sendo. Bookman.
Souza, A. G. (2015). Hysteresis, cultural dimensions and the image of the sustainability of tourism destinations: A cross-cultural comparative study between Brazil and the Netherlands. European Journal of Tourism Research, 11, 176–180. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v11i.205
Souza, A. G. de, Barbosa, J. W. de Q., & Costa, M. F. da. (2022). Souvenir de viagem: Significado, motivação e atributos determinantes do ato de presentear para o viajante brasileiro. Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa em Turismo, 16, 2613. https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v16.2613
Souza, A. G. de, Queiroz Barbosa, J. W. de, & Guimarães, J. C. F. de. (2025). Fear of missing out (FOMO) and the digital extended self: Another view on the sharing of tourism experiences on social media. Cuadernos de Turismo, (55), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.6018/turismo.663341
Souza, L. K. (2020). Recomendações para a realização de grupos focais na pesquisa qualitativa. PSI UNISC, 4(1), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.17058/psiunisc.v4i1.13500
Swanson, K. K., & Timothy, D. J. (2012). Souvenirs: Icons of meaning, commercialization and commoditization. Tourism Management, 33(3), 489–499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2011.10.007
Trad, L. A. B. (2009). Grupos focais: Conceitos, procedimentos e reflexões baseadas em experiências com o uso da técnica em pesquisas de saúde. Physis: Revista de Saúde Coletiva, 19, 777–796. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-73312009000300013
Wilkins, H. (2011). Souvenirs: What and why we buy. Journal of Travel Research, 50(3), 239–247.https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287510362782
Ye, Y., & Gawronski, B. (2016). When possessions become part of the self: Ownership and implicit self–object linking. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 64, 72–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.01.012
Copyright (c) 2026 Turismo: Visão e Ação
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Turismo: Visão e Ação, linked to the Graduate Program in Tourism and Hospitality - Master's and Ph.D., is a scientific journal published in a continuous flow system, with an interdisciplinary and international scope. According to Qualis/CAPES criteria (2021-2024), it is classified as 'A4' in the fields of Administration, Accounting Sciences, and Tourism. Registered with ISSN number 1983-7151, Tourismo: Visão e Ação began its activities in 1998 with printed publications in English and Portuguese. In 2008, it transitioned to an online publication, expanding its reach to a broader audience. It maintains a policy of being an open-access journal without submission or access fees. The abbreviated title for the journal is Tur., Visão e Ação, commonly used in bibliographies, footnotes, references, and bibliographic captions.
Universidade do Vale do Itajaí- Quinta Avenida, 1100, bloco 7, CEP: 88337-300, Balneário Camboriú, SC – Brasil. Tel.: +55 47 3261-1315, e-mail: revistaturismo@univali.br
