S 6791 Copyright © 2015, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Category: Social Networking and Computing DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-5888-2.ch668 The Implications of Social Media in Hospitality Research INTRODUCTION In recent years, social media has become a major buzzword in personal, social and business contexts. The number of adult users on social networking sites has increased from 8% to 35% between 2005 and 2009 (Geiger, 2009). Madden and Zickuhr (2011) estimated that 50% of all US adults now use social networking sites and 43% of online adults use social networking sites daily. With social media generating such a significant amount of traffic, clearly this has become an effective vehicle for companies to utilize in to reach their target audience. Although academics have recognized the increasing importance of social media in the business community, research involving social media in the hospitality field is rather limited. This article first develops a social media research framework on the basis of communication theory. It then reviews related studies on the application of social media in hospitality based on the proposed research framework and identifies the gaps in the knowledge base. Finally, it suggests future research opportunities and direction for social media within the hospitality industry context. BACKGROUND The communication theory has been used to develop a framework of social media applications in the hospital- ity area. An interactive model of the communication process (Weiner, 1988) emphasized four key elements: sender, message, receiver, and feedback. The emergence of social media has affected the traditional communication process dramatically. Thackeray and Neiger (2009) stated that the commu- nication process has evolved from a unidirectional to a multidirectional process. That is, consumers receive messages from both traditional media channels (mass media) and new media channels (social media). Thus, the communication process model considers both tradi- tional company marketers and consumers who develop and share messages through social media as senders. The multidirectional communication model sug- gests that there are three communication processes interacting amongst the three components: the business, the creator, and the receiver. Both the business and creator act as senders. Consumers can be both send- ers and receivers. The three communication processes among three components form a triangular framework of social media (see Figure 1). Figure 1. also describes significant social media applications in the hospitality area. Consumers who have used a product or service offered by hospitality businesses receive messages about their experiences and then post information (such as pictures, content, comments, videos, etc.) on social media outlets. In this sense, consumers act as creators. The material they post is accessible by businesses as feedback. Consumers who haven’t used a product or service, named as receiver, receive information from both businesses and creators. The creators send messages to the receivers, known as word-of-mouth information about the product or ser- vice. Information from the creators and the businesses both appear to affect receivers’ decisions. Based on the information, the receiver may form a specific perception Xi Yu Leung Allegiant Air, USA Manognya Murukutla University of Nevada Las Vegas, USA Mehmet Erdem University of Nevada Las Vegas, USA