Digital Disinformation Effect on Hotels Customer Response: An Overview and Future Research Directions

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of digital disinformation represents a critical issue facing consumers and industries such as hospitality. Various forms of fabricated multimedia content and fake narratives can permeate online spaces and sway customer decision-making. This article explores the potential effects of exposure to digital disinformation, including fake news, deepfakes, and misleading advertisements, on hotel booking intentions. It outlines existing perspectives on disinformation typologies and tactics for manipulating information in the digital sphere. The discussion synthesizes key theoretical frameworks concerning media richness and information manipulation that may explain consumer responses. While academic research on these complex dynamics in the hotel sector remains sparse, this article highlights crucial areas for further empirical investigation. It concludes by proposing important implications for both customers and hospitality practitioners in navigating today's disinformation landscape to make informed decisions and policies. More scholarly attention to digital disinformation and its impacts can offer timely insights into emerging risks for industry and consumers.