An ambivalent role of travel envy on social media

In social media, the phenomenon of travel envy is not uncommon. One of the most popular themes on social media, the travel experience frequently becomes the subject of social comparison and envy among users. Envy generally has been considered a negative emotion, inducing depression in the envier. However, a recent stream of research increasingly highlights the positive side of envy, based on the notion that envy has two types: benign and malicious. This study aims to incorporate the dual envy concept in the tourism context, particularly focusing on users’ different responses toward envy-eliciting travel posts on social media. By analyzing data collected from 345 Millennial users of Instagram, we suggest the two envy types may cause different consequences regarding travel inspiration and visit intention. The empirical results also imply that users’ perceived attainability of the travel experience is a significant factor that activates benign envy.