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Slumming on Social Media? E-Mediated Tourist Gaze and Social Representations of Indian, South African, and Brazilian Slum Tourism Destinations

Author

Listed:
  • Mauro Sarrica

    (Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza, University of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy)

  • Isabella Rega

    (Faculty of Media and Communication, Bournemouth University, Poole BH12 5BB, UK)

  • Alessandro Inversini

    (Ecole Hotelier de Lausanne, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland)

  • Laura Soledad Norton

    (Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza, University of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Slum tourism is a hotly debated genre of travel. While it may foster intercultural encounters with marginalised “others”, it is also accused of reinforcing stereotypes and exploitation. Both aspects are amplified by the communication through social media of the slum tourism experience, that contribute to challenge or confirm stigmatizing representations of slums and their inhabitants. Based on the theoretical constructs of the tourist gaze and of social representations, this article addresses this particular type of digital contact. A lexicometric approach was used to analyse an extensive corpus of reviews on TripAdvisor ( N = 8126). The findings not only confirm common themes already identified by the literature: the eye-opening component of touring poverty and the gatekeeping function of guides; but also show the emergence of context-dependent specificities, such as a hedonistic feature in the Cape Town region; or the integration of favelas within the representations of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, the results show the tension between the “othering” and the “sameing” mechanisms, making this tourism practice a space in which shallow and deep tourist gazes interact and co-exist, and are crucially mediated by the gatekeeper of the tours: the guide.

Suggested Citation

  • Mauro Sarrica & Isabella Rega & Alessandro Inversini & Laura Soledad Norton, 2021. "Slumming on Social Media? E-Mediated Tourist Gaze and Social Representations of Indian, South African, and Brazilian Slum Tourism Destinations," Societies, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:11:y:2021:i:3:p:106-:d:627218
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Tianhan Gui & Wei Zhong, 2024. "When urban poverty becomes a tourist attraction: a systematic review of slum tourism research," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Ronnie Donaldson & Tina Odinakachi Iirmdu & Musfiqah Majiet & Pauline Van der Spuy, 2023. "Residents and Stakeholder Opinions on Township Tourism in Langa, Cape Town, South Africa," Geographies, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-15, November.
    3. António Cardoso & Amândio da Silva & Manuel Sousa Pereira & Neeta Sinha & Jorge Figueiredo & Isabel Oliveira, 2022. "Attitudes towards Slum Tourism in Mumbai, India: Analysis of Positive and Negative Impacts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-18, August.

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