METAVERSE ENGAGEMENT AS A PERSUASION TOOL: METAVERSE ECOSYSTEM DESIGN FOR TOURISM ENTERPRISES

Öz

The metaverse is a new-generation virtual ecosystem that combines the physical and virtual worlds, causing paradigm shifts in the understanding of business, communication, socialization, education, entertainment, and recreation. User engagement in the metaverse is one of the topics frequently addressed in research. This study aims to design a suitable metaverse ecosystem by looking at how interaction elements are included in the metaverse ecosystem and how interaction and its components are examined in previous studies. In this context, the subject of metaverse and engagement was carried out bibliometrically through the R Cran package program. Metaverse applications in tourism were subject to review. Following the prominent themes, a metaverse design was made through Spatial, one of the most frequently used metaverse service providers (MaaS-Metaverse as a Service). The steps of the method used in this research can be summarized as choosing the design theme, determining the content, choosing avatars, creating content, designing, and walking with the avatar in the metaverse. Within the scope of the study, a hotel lobby and a concert hall were designed within the metaverse ecosystem obtained. In the designed ecosystem, the metaverse universes were tested in their transitions between themselves.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Tourism
• Metaverse
• Engagement
• Engagement in Metaverse

BİR İKNA ARACI OLARAK METAVERSTE KATILIM: TURİZM İŞLETMELERİ İÇİN METAVERS EKOSİSTEM TASARIMI

Öz

Metavers, fiziksel ve sanal dünyayı bir araya getirip harmanlayan, iş, iletişim, sosyalleşme, eğitim, eğlence ve rekreasyon anlayışında paradigma değişikliklerine neden olan yeni nesil sanal ekosistemlerdir. Metaversin kişilerin gerek hedonik ihtiyaçlarından gerekse yaşam tarzlarına uygun olduğu için konaklama ve turizm deneyimini çeşitli şekillerde artıracağı bilinmektedir. Metaverste kullanıcı katılımı, araştırmalarda sıklıkla ele alınan konulardan biridir. Bu çalışmada, katılım unsurlarının metavers ekosistemine nasıl dahil edildiğine ve çalışmalarda katılım ve unsurlarının nasıl incelendiğine bakılarak, bu unsurlara uygun bir metavers ekosistemi tasarlanması amaçlanmaktadır. Bu kapsamda metavers ve katılım konusu R Cran paket programı üzerinden bibliyometrik olarak incelenmiştir. Uygulamada da metavers konusunun ne şekilde uygulama bulduğu da ayrıca incelenmiştir. Öne çıkan temalar doğrultusunda en sık kullanılan metavers servis sağlayıcılarından biri olan Spatial (MaaS-Metaverse as a Service) üzerinden metavers tasarımı yapılmıştır. Bu araştırmada kullanılan yöntemin süreç adımları şu şekilde özetlenebilir: tasarım temasının seçilmesi, içeriğin belirlenmesi, avatarların seçilmesi, içerik oluşturulması ve tasarlanması, avatar ile metaverste gezinme. Çalışmanın kapsamında elde edilen metavers ekosistemi içerisinde bir otel lobisi, bir konser salonu tasarlanmıştır. Tasarlanan bir metavers evrenlerinin kendi aralarında geçiş sağlanmasıyla ilgili testler başarılı olmuştur.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Turizm
• Metaverse
• Katılım
• Metaverste Katılım

Kaynakça

1. Abass, M., & Zohry, M. (2022). Mixed Reality Drama Towards Metaverse Technology in Smart Hotels: An Exploratory Study on Egyptian Hotels Evidence from Guests’ Perspectives. Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.21608/jaauth.2022.177500.1411
2. Akarsu, H., & Sever, N. S. (2023). Advertising Engagement: Conceptualization, Scale Development and Validation. Fonseca, Journal of Communication, 26. https://doi.org/10.14201/fjc.31217
3. Albayati, H., Alistarbadi, N., & Rho, J. J. (2023). Assessing engagement decisions in NFT Metaverse based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Telematics and Informatics Reports, 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teler.2023.100045
4. Algesheimer, R., Dholakia, U. M., & Herrmann, A. (2005). The social influence of brand community: Evidence from European car clubs. Journal of Marketing, 69(3). https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.69.3.19.66363
5. Alshurideh, N. , Kurdi, B. , Al-Gasaymeh, A, A., M., J. A., Alzoubi, H. , . . ., & & Alquqa, E. (n.d.). How metaverse can enhance customer awareness, interest, engagement and experience: A practical study. https://doi.org/ 10.5267/j.ijdns.2024.1.022
6. Alvarez-Risco, A., Del-Aguila-Arcentales, S., Rosen, M. A., & Yáñez, J. A. (2022). Social Cognitive Theory to Assess the Intention to Participate in the Facebook Metaverse by Citizens in Peru during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc8030142
7. Arya, V., Verma, H., Sethi, D., & Agarwal, R. (2019). Brand Authenticity and Brand Attachment: How Online Communities Built on Social Networking Vehicles Moderate the Consumers’ Brand Attachment. IIM Kozhikode Society and Management Review, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2277975219825508
8. Bardwell, J. (2021). (2021, March 12). Marriott Bonvoy Logs into the Metaverse with Debut of Travel-Inspired NFTs. . https://news.marriott.com/news/2021/12/04/marriott-bonvoy-logs-into-the-metaverse-with-debut-of-travel-inspired-nfts

9. Bilgihan, A., Leong, A. M. W., Okumus, F., & Bai, J. (2024). Proposing a metaverse engagement model for brand development. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103781
10. Brodie, R. J., Ilic, A., Juric, B., & Hollebeek, L. (2013). Consumer engagement in a virtual brand community: An exploratory analysis. Journal of Business Research, 66(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.07.029
11. Buhalis, D., Leung, D., & Lin, M. (2023). Metaverse as a disruptive technology revolutionising tourism management and marketing. Tourism Management 97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104724
12. Buhalis, D., Lin, M. S., & Leung, D. (2023). Metaverse as a driver for customer experience and value co-creation: implications for hospitality and tourism management and marketing. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2022-0631
13. Carlson, C. (2022). CitizenM to become "first hospitality company to build in the metaverse. Retrieved April 1, 2024, from CitizenM to become "first hospitality company to build in the metaverse
14. Cheung, C. M. K., Shen, X. L., Lee, Z. W. Y., & Chan, T. K. H. (2015). Promoting sales of online games through customer engagement. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 14(4), 241–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ELERAP.2015.03.001
15. De Oliveira, M. J., Huertas, M. K. Z., & Lin, Z. (2016). Factors driving young users’ engagement with Facebook: Evidence from Brazil. Computers in Human Behavior, 54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.038
16. Duncan, T., & Moriarty, S. E. (1998). A Communication-Based Marketing Model for Managing Relationships. Journal of Marketing, 62(2)., 62(2), 1–13. http://doi.org/10.2307/1252157.
17. Dünya Turizm Örgütü (UNWTO) (2022). (2022). Tourism in the 2030 agenda. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://www.unwto.org/tourism-in-2030-agenda
18. Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Baabdullah, A. M., Ribeiro-Navarrete, S., Giannakis, M., Al-Debei, M. M., Dennehy, D., Metri, B., Buhalis, D., Cheung, C. M. K., Conboy, K., Doyle, R., Dubey, R., Dutot, V., Felix, R., Goyal, D. P., Gustafsson, A., Hinsch, C., Jebabli, I., … Wamba, S. F. (2022). Metaverse beyond the hype: Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102542
19. Fang, J., Li, J., & Prybutok, V. R. (2018). Posting-related attributes driving differential engagement behaviors in online travel communities. Telematics and Informatics, 35(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.02.008
20. Finney, A. (2022, March 11). Zaha Hadid Architects designs virtual Liberland Metaverse city. Https://www.Dezeen.Com/2022/03/11/Liberland-Metaverse-City-Zaha-Hadid-Architects/.
21. Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. In Review of Educational Research 74(1). https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
22. Freeman, G., Zamanifard, S., Maloney, D., & Acena, D. (2022). Disturbing the Peace: Experiencing and Mitigating Emerging Harassment in Social Virtual Reality. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 6(CSCW1). https://doi.org/10.1145/3512932
23. Go, H., & Kang, M. (2023). Metaverse tourism for sustainable tourism development: Tourism Agenda 2030. Tourism Review, 78(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-02-2022-0102
24. Gursoy, D., Malodia, S., & Dhir, A. (2022). The metaverse in the hospitality and tourism industry: An overview of current trends and future research directions. Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, 31(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2022.2072504
25. Han, Z., Tu, Y., & Huang, C. (2023). A Framework for Constructing a Technology -Enhanced Education Metaverse: Learner Engagement with Human-Machine Collaboration. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 16(6). https://doi.org/10.1109/TLT.2023.3257511
26. Hasan, S. (2024). (2024, April 1). You can now visit the Burj Khalifa in the metaverse. . Https://Wired.Me/Technology/You-Can-Now-Visit-the-Burj-Khalifa-in-the-Metaverse/.
27. Hollebeek, L. (2011). Exploring customer brand engagement: Definition and themes. In Journal of Strategic Marketing (Vol. 19, Issue 7). https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2011.599493
28. Jang, J., & Kim, J. (2023). Exploring the Impact of Avatar Customization in Metaverse: The Role of the Class Mode on Task Engagement and Expectancy-Value Beliefs for Fashion Education. Mobile Information Systems, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/2967579
29. Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.1086/268109
30. Koo, C., Kwon, J., Chung, N., & Kim, J. (2023). Metaverse tourism: conceptual framework and research propositions. In Current Issues in Tourism (Vol. 26, Issue 20). https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2022.2122781
31. Lee, H. W., Chang, K., Uhm, J. P., & Owiro, E. (2023). How Avatar Identification Affects Enjoyment in the Metaverse: The Roles of Avatar Customization and Social Engagement. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 26(4). https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0257
32. Lo, S. C., & Tsai, H. H. (2022). Design of 3D Virtual Reality in the Metaverse for Environmental Conservation Education Based on Cognitive Theory. Sensors, 22(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/s22218329
33. Mandal, S., Paul, J., Kotni, V. V. D. P., & Chintaluri, M. G. (2024). The orientation of Gen Zs towards metaverse tourism. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2024.100871
34. Mystakidis, S. (2022). Metaverse. Encyclopedia, 2 (1), 486–497.
35. Patrick, B. C., Skinner, E. A., & Connell, J. P. (1993). What Motivates Children’s Behavior and Emotion? Joint Effects of Perceived Control and Autonomy in the Academic Domain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(4). https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.4.781
36. Payal, R., S. N., & D. Y. K. (2024). Unlocking the impact of brand engagement in the metaverse on Real-World purchase intentions: Analyzing Pre-Adoption behavior in a futuristic technology platform. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 65, 101381.
37. Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 19(C). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60214-2
38. Ruhanen, L., Moyle, C. lee, & Moyle, B. (2019). New directions in sustainable tourism research. In Tourism Review (Vol. 74, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-12-2017-0196
39. Shin, D., & Biocca, F. (2018). Exploring immersive experience in journalism. New Media and Society, 20(8). https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817733133
40. Skinner, E., Furrer, C., Marchand, G., & Kindermann, T. (2008). Engagement and Disaffection in the Classroom: Part of a Larger Motivational Dynamic? Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(4). https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012840
41. Stephenson, N. (1994). Snow crash. Futures, 26(7). https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-3287(94)90052-3
42. Stoeber, J., Childs, J. H., Hayward, J. A., & Feast, A. R. (2011). Passion and motivation for studying: Predicting academic engagement and burnout in university students. Educational Psychology, 31(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2011.570251
43. Stoyanova-Bozhkova, S., Paskova, T., & Buhalis, D. (2022). Emotional intelligence: a competitive advantage for tourism and hospitality managers. Tourism Recreation Research, 47(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2020.1841377
44. Suanpang, P., Niamsorn, C., Pothipassa, P., Chunhapataragul, T., Netwong, T., & Jermsittiparsert, K. (2022). Extensible Metaverse Implication for a Smart Tourism City. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114027
45. Suh, A. (2023). How users cognitively appraise and emotionally experience the metaverse: focusing on social virtual reality. Information Technology and People. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-06-2022-0461
46. Suh, A., & Cheung, C. M. K. (2019). Revisiting user engagement: Concepts, themes, and opportunities. Proceedings of the 23rd Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems: Secure ICT Platform for the 4th Industrial Revolution, PACIS 2019.
47. Timms, C., Fishman, T., Godineau, A., Granger, J., & Sibanda, T. (2018). Psychological engagement of university students: Learning communities and family relationships. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-09-2017-0107
48. Tsai, S. P. (2022). Investigating metaverse marketing for travel and tourism. Journal of Vacation Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1177/13567667221145715
49. van Doorn, J., Lemon, K. N., Mittal, V., Nass, S., Pick, D., Pirner, P., & Verhoef, P. C. (2010). Customer engagement behavior: Theoretical foundations and research directions. Journal of Service Research, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670510375599
50. Vivek, S. D., Beatty, S. E., & Morgan, R. M. (2012). Customer engagement: Exploring customer relationships beyond purchase. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 20(2). https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679200201
51. Yoon, S., & Nam, Y. (2024). Metaverse engagement and Korea travel intentions: Understanding affordances, presence, and place attachment among Brazilian ZEPETO users. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2024.100865
52. Zhang, G., Wu, J., Jeon, G., Chen, Y., Wang, Y., & Tan, M. (2023). Towards Understanding Metaverse Engagement via Social Patterns and Reward Mechanism: A Case Study of Nova Empire. IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSS.2022.3211679
53. Zhang, X., Yang, D., Yow, C. H., Huang, L., Wu, X., Huang, X., Guo, J., Zhou, S., & Cai, Y. (2022). Metaverse for Cultural Heritages. Electronics (Switzerland), 11(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11223730