Motivations behind posting travel pictures for status: developing and testing the Conspicuous Consumption Posting Scale (CCPS)

With social media increasing the ability of tourists to conspicuously consume travel experiences, tourism marketers need tools to better understand the motivations behind why tourist post travel pictures for status. This paper uses Optimal Distinctiveness Theory to develop the Conspicuous Consumption Posting Scale (CCPS). Results demonstrate the construct validity of the scale with four unique motivations for posting travel pictures for status: pure conspicuous consumption focused on the desire to signal wealth, bandwagon motivations focused on using travel photography to fit in, and snob motivations focused on using travel photography and travel destinations to stand out from one’s peers.