The effects of photo-sharing motivation on tourist well-being: The moderating role of online social support

Based on two dimensions of extrinsic-intrinsic and self-centered-community-related motivation and selfdetermination theory (SDT), this study proposes four important tourist photo-sharing motivations (enjoyment, altruism, self-expression, and social relationship) and built a theoretical model to reveal the mechanism of tourist photo-sharing motivation influencing tourist subjective well-being (SWB). The results show that extrinsic selfcentered motivation (self-expression) positively affects intrinsic self-centered motivation (enjoyment), while extrinsic community-related motivation (social relationship) positively affects intrinsic community-related motivation (altruism). Two intrinsic motivations have significant impacts on tourist SWB. The moderating effects of social support present a complex picture, which can be explained by SDT. Implications were also discussed.

Automated summary

Based on self-determination theory (SDT) and the dimensions of extrinsic-intrinsic and self-centered-community-related motivation, this study proposes four important motivations for tourist photo-sharing (enjoyment, altruism, self-expression, and social relationship) and builds a theoretical model to reveal the mechanism of how these motivations influence tourist subjective well-being (SWB). The findings show that extrinsic self-centered motivation (self-expression) positively influences intrinsic self-centered motivation (enjoyment), while extrinsic community-related motivation (social relationship) positively influences intrinsic community-related motivation (altruism). Both intrinsic motivations significantly impact tourist SWB. The moderating effects of social support are complex and can be explained by SDT. Implications of the study are also discussed.