Algorithmic authenticity: Sociotechnical authentication processes on online travel platforms

Abstract

This article discusses the touristic production of authenticity in the context of algorithmic culture. It notes that the dominant sociological framework of authenticity has, in the last decades, shifted from an objectivist to a constructionist one, a central issue becoming “who has the right to authenticate.” I argue here that “who” needs to be supplemented with “what” due to the operations of mainstream algorithmic platforms for the production and reception of travel information. Review websites such as TripAdvisor construct and confirm the authenticity of places and people through a double orientation of highly subjective, “hot” authentication processes and quantified appeals to “cool,” objective authenticity (Selwyn). This double orientation is explored in the algorithmic affordances of and user interactions on TripAdvisor. In conclusion, the article considers the sociotechnical fusion of both quantitative and experiential appeals to be productive of an algorithmic authenticity.