Using Dialogic Principles on Facebook : How the Accommodation Sector Is Communicating With Its' Consumers
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis examines the extent to which the accommodation sector uses social media, specifically Facebook, to communicate dialogically with its consumers. Using Kent and Taylor's (1998) five principles of dialogic communication, a content analysis of 34 different hotels' Facebook pages were reviewed. Twenty-four posts and comments on each organizations' Facebook page were examined over a 12 month span to determine if dialogic communication was occurring between the organization and its consumers. The study asked two questions. How is the accommodation sector of the hospitality industry employing the principles of dialogic communication through their Facebook posts? Is there is a relationship between market class and likeliness to use the dialogic principles within Facebook posts? The study found that the accommodation sector employed the principles of dialogic communication in 97.9 % of the Facebook posts. The results showed frequent occurrences of three of the dialogic principles. These three principles, dialogic loop, conservation of visitors and usefulness of information appeared in over 50% of total posts analyzed. The dialogic principle, generation of return visitors was the only principle to occur in less than 50% of the posts (29.3%). Only 2.1% of posts did not use any of the dialogic principles, with the mean falling at 2.29 principles used. Two statistically significant relationships were discussed between the market class and their likelihood to use the principles of dialogic communication within Facebook posts.
Source: TigerPrints (Clemson University)
Author: Elizabeth A. Muckensturm
Institution: Clemson University
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1940182842