Using Social media platform to aid in data analysis of tourist location
About the Project
This project started out as a way for me to showcase my own photography work but with Covid-19 restrictions and everything over the last year. The project had evolved into what it is today which is a project taken inspiration from Lev Manovich's Selfiecity, which I took my own spin on things to showcase are beautiful country full of tourism sights. By using the social media platform instagram I was able to gather a perfect supply of images that I could showcase while also getting data on the users that have posted to these sights. This then aloud me to create some infographics breaking down the data that I have collected making it appealing to look at and stand out to viewers.
The aim behind the project is to understand the type of people visiting these locations any how different types of tourism attracts different type of people. By using the data collected to I will be able to answer these questions and this can be taken further into researching travel patterns using social media or even target material on these locations to the visitors.
Mussenden Temple
Mussenden Temple is located on the cliffs near Castlerock in County Londonderry overlooking Downhill strand. The building was built in 1785 and is part of downhill demesne which was part of the estate of Fredrick the 4th Earl of Bristol. Who had the temple constructed to be a library. It is now part of the National Trust and open to the public all year long overing outstanding views all around.
Big Fish Belfast
The Big Fish is a printed ceramic mosaic sculpture constructed in 1999 by John Kindness. It is installed in the Donegall Quay in Belfast, famous for being used in tourist material for Northern Ireland. It is Based on the Salmon of Knowledge in Irish Myth, with its tiled skin having texts and images relating to the history of Belfast city as well as having a time capsule inside with information, images and poetry from the city all stores inside.
Bobby Sands Mural
Bobby Sands Mural is a painted mural from 1998 of the smiling image of Bobby Sands. Sands led the hunger strikes while imprisoned in Long Kesh Prison, this smiling images of him was taken while he was imprisoned. This mural working as a way of commemorating him after dying in prison during the hunger strikes of 1981. Within the mural it displays two phrases “Everyone A Republican or Otherwise, has their Own Particular Role to Play," and "Our Revenge Will Be The Laughter Of Our Children”.
Free Derry Mural
Free Derry Corner is a historic landmark in the Bogside neighbourhood of Derry/Londonderry. A free standing wall commemorates the self-declared autonomous nationalist area of Derry from 1969 and 1972. In January 1969 a local activist painted on the wall the now iconic phrase in the area “You are now entering Free Derry” later repainted professionally in black lettering on the newly painted white wall. Becoming iconic for the scenes of the Battle of the Bogside and Blood Sunday after which the surrounding houses were demolished but leaving the wall as a remembrance of events.
Conclusion
Within the project with my data that I collected from each post and user I was able to establish that Mussenden Temple was posted on Instagram by double the amount women comparted to men with the key age demographic being 15-30 year old with half the amount of post being by this age demographic with a majority being from Northern Ireland. While at the big fish in Belfast it also had a majority of woman posting on social media while the key demographic was of an older generation being that of 31-45 year olds with the majority coming from Northern Ireland as well but with a wider range of countries compared to Mussenden Temple which manly came from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. Now on the other hand more dark tourism sights with the murals of Bobby Sands and the Free Derry mural. With the Bobby Sands Mural was similar to Mussenden Temple with 12 posts coming from females but unlike it the majority age range is very similar to Big Fish Belfast with a majority age range being 31-45 years old and with the most posts coming from Republic of Ireland residents. Surprisingly there was a wider range of countries of origin from around the world with Italy, Belgium, French and USA to name. At the Free Derry Mural there was an even split of male and females just like the Bobby Sands mural there was a majority age demographic of 31-45 year old with a majority of Northern Ireland residents posting followed by Italian residents.
Talking this data it shows me that there is a divide between conventional tourist locations Mussenden Temple and Big Fish Belfast compared to Dark Tourism location Bobby Sands Mural and Free Derry Mural. In the conventional tourism sights there was a majority age demographic that was younger 15-30 years old while Dark Tourism sight had a majority demographic that was older 31-45 year old. With all sights having a majority female demographic. I am not surprised that females have the majority as they are more akin to post photos onto social media to share with friends and make others envy them. The age demographic also doesn’t surprise me as Dark Tourism is more likely to attract and older audience as the subject matter is more mature as it is based on death and disasters compared to conventional tourism which is mainly based on nature and beauty. I am happy surprised by the wide range of people that have visited these sights from other countries as I assumed that it would just be people form the United Kingdom and Ireland that visited these locations but seeing people from all across the globe shows that people are visiting these locations. Surprisingly there was more foreign nationals visiting dark tourism sights than conventional tourism sights as I assumed it would be the other way round especially in Northern Ireland. This is because its dark past is entangled between are faith and nationality and would appeal more to those coming from Northern Ireland itself and those in Ireland compared to around the globe but am gladly surprised.
This data can be taken further to continue this research into more locations and also include a lot more photographs across more social media platforms not just Instagram itself. Giving this a bigger spectrum of results and allowing this research to be taken into helping to target tourist with new material, designed especially for the audiences and even like in Peru tracking tourist movements to help bring tourists to less visited sights and not just the most popular locations like the Giants Causeway and the Titanic Experience.
Thank You for Viewing my Project !