Post, Ergo Sum - Social Media and Brand Competitiveness in Tourism – The Case of Molisn't

Social media launched a “tongue-in-cheek” trend taking a comic approach to state that Molise— an Italian region—doesn't exist; several reactions appeared online, since this discourse may affect the attractiveness and image of a territory. Therefore, this chapter aims to analyse the online actions and counteractions to describe the role of the actors and the modalities by which they reacted. Literature showed a growing interest in the ties among destination marketing, destination image and competitiveness, and social media. A multi-level approach has been chosen in identifying the actions and reactions of actors. Due to the research context, the authors performed a netnography and identified six categories of actors. On a theoretical side, the levels of analysis – macro, meso, and micro – are mutually influencing, as actions and reactions take place at various levels. On a practical side, the awareness of actors in understanding the need to support the territory represents a suggestion for policymakers, as they should engage in actions to combat the negative image of the region.