Millennials need you to comment on their vacation photos

When Millennials go on vacation you can be sure they will post photos of their experience to social media. New research from Expedia reveals that it is important to them that those posts generate attention.

by Helen Leggatt

Social media is, to Millennials, a lens through which they experience the world and through which they project themselves. This is as true for their daily lives as it is when they are on vacation

New research from Expedia, based on a survey of 1,000 people across multiple international markets, delved into vacations and social media. It found that 42% of Millennials were influenced by social media posts when it came to choosing a vacation destination, significantly more so than Generation X (29%) and Boomers (16%).

Millennial Carmen from the UK says "I trust my friends the most and am easily influenced/persuaded by them so if they are very enthusiastic about a place, chances are, I will be too".

When on vacation, it's not unusual for people to post images of their experience to social media. Forty-two percent of Millennials say that social media is a better way to record photos than physical albums compared to just a quarter of non-Millennials.

Furthermore, Millennials across all international markets say that it is important that people comment on their vacation photos shared on social media - significantly more so than non-Millennials. In China, 58% say it's important compared with 44% of non-Millennials and in the U.S. 46% say it's important compared to just 20% of non-Millennials.

Another surprising finding from Expedia's 'Millennial Traveller Report' is that, while authentic travel experiences are crucial to Millennials, without recognition in the form of social media comments "even the most authentic experiences would be for naught". Forty-three percent of Millennials say that the social media response they get about their travels is "more important" (12%) or of "equal importance" (31%) to having an authentic experience.