Using Social Media Data and Park Characteristics to Understand Park Visitation

The emergence of social media creates opportunities for assessing how visitors use park resources for recreation. Our study objectives are to determine if the number of images posted online by visitors to the social media platform Flickr can serve as a valid proxy for estimating park visitation at t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of park and recreation administration 2020, Vol.38 (2), p.135-12
Main Authors: Kuehn, Diane, Gibbs, James, Goldspiel, Harrison, Barr, Brannon, Sampson, Alden, Moutenot, Marshall, Badding, Joshua, Stradtman, Lilly
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Digital media
Parks & recreation areas
Recreation
Recreational use
Regional analysis
Social media
Social networks
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Summary:The emergence of social media creates opportunities for assessing how visitors use park resources for recreation. Our study objectives are to determine if the number of images posted online by visitors to the social media platform Flickr can serve as a valid proxy for estimating park visitation at the state and regional levels, and if including park characteristics in visitation models improves model fit. Regressions were used to identify relationships among social media data, park characteristics, and park visitation data. Although "number of images/km (2)" explained most of the variation in summer visitation data for the Northern Forest Region and the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, including park characteristics (i.e., size, road access, and number of facilities) improved model fit in most instances. Model fit was stronger for most states than the region, indicating the need to consider consistency in management across a region in future studies. Keywords Social media, park characteristics, visitation
ISSN:2160-6862
0735-1968
2160-6862
DOI:10.18666/JPRA-2019-10035