A Content Analysis of Social Media Posts among Recreational Cyclists: A Gender Perspective

Autor: Eunjung Kim, Kijung Choi, James Lappeman, Jari Salo
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, Vol 10, Iss 4, Pp 1275-1282 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2223-814X
DOI: 10.46222/ajhtl.19770720-162
Popis: Recreational cyclists are pertinent but rarely studied leisure and tourism segment. Recreational cycling has traditionally been considered as a ‘masculine stereotyped’ sport. The purpose of the research is to better understand a gendered consumer view of recreational cycling and to possibly promote recreational cycling to women and men in countries like South Africa with keen interests of recreational cycling in the form of sport tourism. This research employs a content analysis of social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as a research method. Specifically, the gendered nature of recreational cycling is focused upon. In total, 2,504 posts from 1,598 unique authors from South Africa are analysed. As a result, this research shows that in the South African context male cyclists tend to like to attend the specialised event and race for their health and fitness while female cyclists seem to find more enjoyable and family-friendly (children focused) cycling. The results also confirm the paradox that women are generally presented in more family oriented roles, while men are typically shown as more independent in the media. Managerial implications and future research are also presented.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals