RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Instagram Effect: Is Social Media Influencing Visitation to Public Lands?
JF Land Economics
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 256
OP 277
DO 10.3368/le.100.2.122920-0192R1
VO 100
IS 2
A1 Mackenzie, Ashley Lowe
A1 Dundas, Steven J.
A1 Zhao, Bo
YR 2024
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/100/2/256.abstract
AB Public lands in the United States have recently experienced significant increases in visitation. Journalists and park managers suggest Instagram is a primary reason. We explore this issue in the Oregon state park system by combining visitation data with park-specific georeferenced content and engagement indicators from Instagram. Using several empirical specifications, we show suggestive evidence that Instagram is not likely correlated to increased visitation everywhere; rather, it is only in a few locations generating high user participation within the app. We find no contemporary effect and a positive association with cumulative Instagram engagement indicators on visits at this subset of parks.