Meme magic: the role of memes on tourism short videos

As destinations increasingly harness the power of short videos for marketing, the integration of internet memes within the tourism context remains a largely underexplored area. This study employs a 2 (internet memes: with / without) × 2 (tourism scenarios: nature / gastronomy) experimental design to investigate the effects of various types of videos on engagement, social media information literacy, and emotional arousal. By comparing travel short videos that incorporate internet memes with those that do not, the research reveals intriguing patterns in viewer responses. Notably, the type of tourism scenario appears to have minimal impact on users’ emotional and behavioural reactions. Surprisingly, the study finds that viewers demonstrate higher levels of engagement and emotional arousal when watching videos that lack meme elements. These findings provide valuable insights for designers and marketers, suggesting that they should reconsider the role of internet memes in their marketing strategies to enhance viewer connection and interest.