Sixth Sense Transport: Social Media as a Collaborative Travel Tool

With the rise in social networking, new opportunities have arisen to forge connections between people, places and things. The further shift of social networking from desk top computers to mobile devices has provided a ubiquitous media that is transforming travel practice and has the potential to be harnessed to bring about more sustainable travel. This paper reports on findings from the Sixth Sense Transport project. The project’s main aim is to revolutionise the process of decision making in travel behaviour by using social networking principles to create 'visibility' of potential transport options in time and space. Through a user centred design process a smartphone app has been developed which places tourists from a United Kingdom (UK) campsite community into a social network to enable collaborative use of the transport resources available. Campsite communities lend themselves to collaborative activities given people stay in close proximity and share space and resources. A network of some strong, but mostly weak, bonds emerges that might be enhanced by social media to enable travel collaboration. However, social media enabled travel collaboration also presents challenges which are explored in the project and include trust, reciprocity, safety and privacy concerns. The Sixth Sense Transport Campsite App is under trial at a UK campsite in 2013. Data compiled from the app, user interviews and user questionnaires will provide user based evidence on the utility of mobile social networking as a tool to bring about more sustainable travel.