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From influence to empowerment: Unpacking capacity building and social learning in virtual communities

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study explores how independent travel empowers women travel influencers and how meanings of empowerment are negotiated through interactions with their followers by examining the empowerment process at both individual and social levels. Drawing on capacity building theory and social cognitive theory, it investigates how travel experiences and digital content creation contribute to personal agency, skill development, and socially mediated expressions of empowerment. Using an interpretive paradigm and a netnographic approach, the study analyses the social media practices of 17 female travel influencers. Findings show that independent travel fosters self-efficacy, confidence, and the acquisition of skills and knowledge among influencers, while followers express inspiration, aspiration, identification, and negotiation of constraints in response to shared narratives of empowerment. The study underscores the dynamic interplay among digital influence, community engagement, and gendered empowerment, offering insights into virtual capacity building within contemporary travel cultures.

Source: Tourism Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2026.105541

Authors: Zara Zarezadeh, Ulrike Gretzel

Institutions: Griffith University, University of Southern California

Language: English

Topic: Digital Marketing and Social Media

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Gender equality, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,690