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Isahrai Azaria is heading to Austin, Texas, in February, and thanks to Facebook, she already has 40 acquaintances, an invitation to go water tubing, and a line on the best vegetarian lunch place in town.<\/p>\n
\n“It’s been unbelievable,” said Azaria, a singer who lives in San Francisco. “It was just a quick post on Facebook, but one of my Facebook friends is friends with some people in Austin,” and those friends sent her tips on everything from yoga studios to local bus service.<\/p>\n
\nSocial media is changing the way people travel. It’s replacing recommendations from experts and strangers with a targeted selection of information from acquaintances and their networks.<\/p>\n
\n“Social media and travel are a perfect fit, because they both are built around this idea of sharing experiences and storytelling,” said Mary Madden, a senior researcher at the Pew Internet and American Life Project in Washington, D.C. “Content, whether that’s a blog post about your favorite restaurant or the story from your latest trip to Greece and photos of that trip, is a form of social currency that you share with other people who frequent your social media space.”<\/p>\n
\nTravelers have used the Internet for years to find hotels, restaurants and other attractions. Some Web sites offer recommendations from guidebook writers, critics and other experts, while others — like TripAdvisor.com, Yelp and Chowhound — offer feedback from individuals about their personal experiences. But credibility can be an issue. A good review could be written by the business owners themselves or their friends, while bad reviews could come from their competitors. A destination Web site might only list businesses that pay to be featured.<\/p>\n
\nIn contrast, a recommendation from a Facebook connection or your Twitter feed may feel more trustworthy and less random than something you stumble across on a Web site — even when the… <\/p>\n
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