Social Networking Sites as a Means to Encourage Sustainable Mobility

This paper explores the potential of social networking sites (hereafter SNS) to encourage changes in travel behaviors, and to provide recommendations for how any identified potential could be maximized through optimal design. A scoping review of scientific literature and SNS identified a lack of a robust empirical research base upon which to draw conclusions about the possible impact of such sites on behavior. The authors therefore conducted three focus groups, two interviews with developers of SNS that could potentially trigger a change in travel behaviors, and an online survey of users. This report presents the findings, and concludes that they are a good way to communicate messages to a broad demographic. They seem likely to increase awareness of the impact of travel behaviors and of more sustainable alternatives. This may not lead to a direct change in travel behaviors, but it has potential to impact attitudes and values that could change travel behaviors in the longer term. However, there are a number of design considerations that, if built into the development (and continued maintenance) of SNS, could increase this impact. Those wishing to communicate low carbon behavior messages should adopt strategies that exploit the engagement opportunities associated with SNS.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Intelligent Transportation Society of America.
• Corporate Authors:

  ITS America

  1100 17th Street, NW, 12th Floor
  Washington, DC  United States  20036
• Authors:
  • Binsted, A
  • Hutchins, R
• Conference:
  • 19th ITS World Congress
  • Location: Vienna , Austria
  • Date: 2012-10-22 to 2012-10-26
• Publication Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: CD-ROM; References;
• Pagination: 9p
• Monograph Title: 19th ITS World Congress, Vienna, Austria, 22 to 26 October 2012

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior modification; Mobility; Real time information; Sustainable transportation; Travel behavior; Travel surveys
• Candidate Terms: Social networking
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01494347
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 25 2013 10:41AM