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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, borders were closed, cities were blocked, and individuals went into quarantine. The market size of the tourism industry in 2020 declined by more than 70% compared to the previous year, regressing to the size it was 30 years ago. This does not mean that people’s needs for tourism have decreased. People started to use virtual reality technologies to get the experience of sightseeing even if they could not go directly to tourist attractions. Prior studies found that virtual reality technology is effective for online shopping and gaming contexts. However, there are insufficient studies investigating the effect of using virtual reality for tourism content. Therefore, this study attempts to verify how the media richness of virtual reality tourism content elicits various reactions from potential tourists in terms of perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, satisfaction, destination visit intention, and positive word-of-mouth intention. The purpose of this study is to verify how virtual reality tourism content increases the destination visit intention after the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on media richness theory and the information system success model, a hypothesis was developed. One hundred and eighty-two data were gathered from potential tourists who were in quarantine by performing an online scenario survey that used quasi-experiment methods. Data were analyzed with a PLS algorithm. The results indicate that media richness of tourism content using virtual reality significantly increased perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. It could significantly increase satisfaction, destination visit intention, and positive word-of-mouth intention. The results of this study explain how information technology can be used in the tourism industry, and they provide suggestions on why tourism content using virtual reality can be useful for attracting tourists, and what experiences it can provide tourists.

Purpose Based on the key dimensions of the Metaverse environment (immersiveness, fidelity and sociability), this paper aims to develop the concept of sensory word-of-mouth (WOM) in Metaverse – the metaWOM. It attempts to upgrade the Reviewchain model and suggests the utilization of non-transferable tokens (NTTs) in curbing the explosion of fake WOM. Design/methodology/approach Following Macinnis’ (2011) approach to conceptual contributions, the authors browsed the currently available literature on WOM, Metaverse and NTT to portray the emergence of metaWOM. Findings By relying on Metaverse’s three building blocks, the authors map out the persuasiveness of metaWOM in the Metaverse-like environment. By incorporating NTT in the Reviewchain model, the authors upgraded it to provide a transparent, safe and trusted review ecosystem. An array of emerging research directions and research questions is presented. Research limitations/implications This paper comprehensively analyzes the implications of a Metaverse-like environment on WOM and debates on technologies that can enhance the metaWOM persuasiveness. The proposed model in this paper can assist various stakeholders in understanding the complex nature of virtual information-seeking and giving. Originality/value This is the original attempt to delineate the sensory aspect of WOM in the Metaverse based on three crucial aspects of the Metaverse environment: immersiveness, fidelity and sociability. This paper extends the discussion on the issue of fake reviews and offers viable suggestions to curb the ever-growing number of fraudulent WOM.

Although there is a growing understanding of theory building in the information systems (IS) field, what constitutes IS theory remains the subject of intense debate. Following Weick recommendation to focus on the products of theorizing rather than on what theories are, we assemble and analyze 12 products (question, paradigm, law, framework, myth, analogy, metaphor, model, concept, construct, statement, and hypothesis) that are rarely discussed together in any depth in the IS field and combine them into a coherent theorizing framework. Drawing on Foucault thesis of discursive formation we characterize the unique role of each product in IS theorizing and illustrate the usefulness of the framework in relation to both classical IS theorizing in the form of media richness theory as well as next-generation theorizing.

PurposeThis study aimed to develop and validate an online live streaming perceived servicescape (OLSPS) scale that can help platform service providers to develop strategies for new live streaming channel promotions.Design/methodology/approachThis study conceptualized the construct of OLSPS and the four-phase procedure of the 66-item OLSPS scale development, including item generation, item purification, scale validation, measure application and testing of hypotheses. It also provided a research framework to assess audiences' cognition and behavioral intention, and an online survey on 420 live streaming users (social platforms, n = 210; native platforms, n = 210) was conducted.FindingsThis study developed and validated a 35-item OLSPS scale with eight dimensions. The results of the empirical model showed that OLSPS is positively correlated with the audiences' cognition and behavioral intention. Furthermore, parasocial interaction experience showed a positive moderation on channel trust.Originality/valueThis study is a pioneering effort to develop and validate an OLSPS scale. The results could be helpful for researchers in building OLSPS and for managers in assessing and promoting users' acceptance of online live streaming platforms.

The evolving tourism industry and increasing number of travelers are not only raising environmental concerns about tourism sites, but also posing challenges for local communities. In this scenario, the notion and agenda for sustainable tourism are widely criticized due to their limited scope and emphasis on creating a balance between economic and adverse environmental and communal benefits. In response, the call for a necessary paradigm transformation has become intense. Consequently, a new approach—regenerative tourism—has been developed to create awareness about pro-environmental behavior to satisfy the primary needs of the community. Regenerative tourism supports the quality of life of local people. Therefore, there is a great need to promote eco-literacy through innovative and better audience experience-laden communication strategies, such as immersive journalism and metaverse-based promotional content. However, little is known about how these future technologies interplay with psychological and social mechanisms to enhance regenerative tourism intention. Drawing an analogy from pro-environmental theory and media richness theory, this research intends to identify whether virtual, augmented reality merger (i.e., immersive journalism), and metaverse-based environmental delineations may contribute to educating tourists and lead to regenerative tourism intention. This research was carried out using a cross-sectional online survey that collected data from 776 digital media users from Pakistan who plan to visit a destination or have done so previously. The results from the data, based on structural equation modeling, suggested that immersive journalism and metaverse-based regenerative tourism promotion are communication strategies that effectively enhance eco-literacy and lead to pro-environmental behavior. However, dispositional empathy has critical moderating implications; the greater the extent of the empathy concerns that individuals uphold, the stronger the eco-literacy and pro-environmental behavior. Finally, regenerative tourism intention can be predicted by these antecedents effectively. Therefore, these pioneer results confirmed that innovative technology-driven media content can augment awareness of regenerative tourism activities and transform travelers’ intention to adopt regenerative practices during destination visits. This research suggests strategic guidelines for organizations and governments to implement practical, innovative, and communicative tools that support adopting regenerative practices among prospective travelers.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the extent, nature and communication potential of companies’ use of three popular social media platforms (Facebook, X and LinkedIn) to report on sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative methodology through the use of the netnography approach was adopted to evaluate the use of social media for sustainability communication by the Top 50 ASX companies. Content analysis of all company posts determined those with social and environmental content. A thematic analysis was performed using the global reporting initiative (GRI) framework to examine the nature of the reporting. The media richness framework was used to measure the communication potential of the social media platforms for sustainability communication. Findings The results indicated that the extent of sustainability posts on social media represented less than 20% of total social media posts. The nature of posts by the Top 50 ASX companies was higher on social issues than on environmental issues, which is contradictory to many previous studies. The study also found that while the social media platforms afforded high levels of media richness, most companies failed to exploit the platforms’ full potential to disseminate sustainability information. Research limitations/implications This work provides both empirical and theoretical contributions to the ongoing debate concerning the use of social media for sustainability communication. The paper extends Lodhia et al.’s (2020) study of social media use for legitimation purposes and adapts Lodhia’s (2004) media richness framework to social media for sustainability reporting. It adds empirical insights into social media’s communication potential and value for communicating sustainability information. Practical implications The extent and nature to which organisations use social media to disclose their sustainability performance has significant practical implications for a variety of stakeholders. The results reveal to these stakeholders and the companies themselves the level of utilisation of social media along with the potential that can be harnessed. These results can potentially improve the quantity, timeliness and usability of sustainability reporting using social media platforms. Social implications The study provides valuable evidence to increase understanding of the sustainability social media communication landscape, which organisations can potentially leverage to communicate their messages. Additionally, sustainability awareness is increased across various demographics by disseminating sustainability information to the wider public. This study will assist policy-setters in developing guidance for using social media for sustainability reporting. Originality/value This study extends existing literature, particularly the Lodhia et al. (2020) study, which has primarily focused on examining sustainability content in the media with limited exploration of the communication potential of social media platforms to communicate sustainability content.

Drawing on media richness theory, this study investigates the effect of rich media, such as virtual reality (VR), on visit intentions for a specific destination. Specifically, this research employs a mixed-method approach, using abductive theorization to explore and confirm the dimensions of the VR visit experience, notably those related to telepresence, a key concept in tourism through VR. Furthermore, the study aims to elucidate how telepresence influences mental imagery, attitudes towards tourist destinations, and actual visit intentions. To do this, qualitative data were gathered between February and June 2022 from 34 semi-structured interviews with respondents who viewed a VR video of the destination. A second study collected quantitative data from 400 participants through face-to-face questionnaires after a VR video view between June and August 2022. The findings reveal that telepresence comprises three dimensions: realism of the virtual environment, immersion, and the sense of presence in the virtual environment. Telepresence, in turn, both directly and indirectly affects actual visit intentions, with mental imagery and attitude toward tourist destinations partially mediating those relationships. This study provides methodological, theoretical, and tourism management implications to enhance our comprehension of telepresence’s facets, its measurement, and the process by which VR influences real visit intentions.

PurposePrevious studies have attempted to address online uncertainties from the relationship marketing perspective. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the integration of media richness theory (MRT) and cognitive fit theory (CFT) can contribute a new perspective in addressing consumers’ transaction-specific uncertainties in online retailing.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of MRT and CFT, a research model was developed by correlating online channel media richness (OCMR), online–offline information integration (OOII), information privacy concern, perceived deception and online loyalty. The model was empirically examined based on survey data collected from 258 multi-channel consumers in China.FindingsAn analysis of structural equation model showed that OCMR is negatively associated with information privacy concern and perceived deception but is not significant to online loyalty. Information privacy concern has a negative influence on online loyalty, but the effect of perceived deception is not significant. Moreover, information privacy concern is positively related to perceived deception. The OOII strengthens the influence of OCMR but not the moderating effect of integrated promotion, product and price information on the relationship between OCMR and online loyalty.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the extant literature on online retailing by examining the effect of OCMR on online transaction uncertainties. Information integrity in the form of OOII was proposed to complement OCMR. Results have shown that OCMR is significant in reducing online uncertainties, and OOII strengthens this effect, thereby enhancing online loyalty.

PurposeDrawing on media richness theory and a framework of interpersonal communication goals, this study investigates how and why the IT industry's top managers use communication media to achieve their interaction goals in e-leadership.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach is applied to understand top managers' communication media use and interaction goals. The empirical data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 33 top managers from large IT companies and analysed using theory-guided thematic and ideal-type analyses.FindingsTop managers were categorized into three types, based on their communication goals through face-to-face communication. Relationship-oriented top managers pursued relational and communal goals, whereas task-oriented ones wished to achieve instrumental and communal goals. Task- and relationship-oriented top managers pursued relational, instrumental, and communal goals. This study indicates that communal, instrumental, relational, and self-presentational goals influence managers' communication media selection.Originality/valueThis study brings new knowledge to the management communication research field. It expands the framework of interpersonal communication goals by identifying communal goals as a new category, in addition to existing instrumental, relational and self-presentational goals. This study suggests that media richness theory could be advanced by recognizing that a broader set of communication goals – including communal, instrumental, relational, and self-presentational – influences managers' communication media selection.