Social media power catalyzing urban tourism innovation: applying spatial-institutional-affective framework in placemaking

This article examines the phenomenon of Wanghong City (literally ‘internet-famous city’) as a distinctive model of tourism-led urban transformation and digital placemaking in China. Focusing on the cases of Tianjin and Harbin, the most prominent Wanghong destinations in 2023–2024, the study explores how social media attention reshapes urban branding, institutional practices, and governance strategies in post-industrial contexts. While existing studies often treat social media as a tool for tourism marketing or visitor engagement, this research develops a spatial–institutional–affective framework to conceptualize Wanghong City as a digitally mediated and tourism-oriented placemaking phenomenon. The framework highlights three interrelated dimensions: urban branding, governance improvisation, and emotional capital. Drawing on qualitative research methods, including social media content analysis, fieldwork, and semi-structured interviews, the study shows how local governments respond to viral digital trends by adapting infrastructure, curating cultural narratives, and engaging emotionally with residents and visitors, thereby creating hybrid spaces that balance spectacle with governance. Wanghong City thus functions not only as a promotional device but also as a policy arena for tourism-driven innovation in urban development. Beyond the Chinese context, the analysis contributes to global debates on digital tourism, platform urbanism, and affective geographies by demonstrating how attention economies reshape placemaking and governance through tourism. In doing so, the study advances tourism geographies by framing Wanghong City as a novel form of tourism-led place-making, linking digital spectacle with spatial reconfigurations, institutional adaptation, and affective attachments in contemporary urban environments.