Lu and teammates investigated how being able to see people in an image of a destination/location influences opinions formed about that space. They share that “Consumers and marketers often post photos of experiential consumption online. . . . Six studies, including an analysis of field data (14,725 Instagram photos by a top travel influencer) and five controlled experiments, find that the presence (vs. absence) of another human in the photo of an identity-relevant experience (e.g., a vacation, a wedding) can lower viewers' liking and preference for the venue (i.e., the vacation destination, the wedding venue) in the photo.”
Zoe Lu, Suyeon Jung, and Joann Peck. “It Looks Like ‘Theirs’: When and Why Human Presence in the Photo Lowers Viewers’ Liking and Preference for an Experience Venue.” Journal of Consumer Research, in press, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad059