Annotated Bibliography
1. Ayers-Greenidge, E. “Free Associations : An Exploration Of Guests ’ ExperiencesIn The Couchsurfing Exchange”. Wright Institute, 2012.
This research relates to the main question in my paper as the author discusses what makes tourists to use Couchsurfing services. Dr. Emery Ayers-Greenidge is a professor of psychology at the Wright Institute so she offers a special take on Couchsurfing phenomenon from the perspective of social psychology. Her research is aimed at defining the mechanism of motivation that makes the tourist select a potential host based on similarities in their lifestyle and character traits.
2. Bialski, P., & Batorski, D. “From Online Familiarity to Offline Trust: How a VirtualCommunity Creates Familiarity and Trust between Strangers.” In P. Zaphiris & C. S. Ang (Eds.), Social Computing and Virtual Communities (pp. 179–205). Boca Raton, USA: Taylor and Francis Group, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/9691743/From_Online_Familiarity_to_Offline_Trust_How_a_virtual_community_creates_familiarity_and_trust_between_strangers Last accessed February 11, 2018
Paula Bialski and Dominik Batorski dig further into the phenomenon of Couchsurfing as they recreate the process from making the first contact to building trust and maintaining a relationship within the structure. In their research, they have used a survey of over 3000 tourists from Couchsurfing.com, and conducted 30 personal interviews. Authors identify the route the potential tourists have to take to end up with a positive Couchsufing experience. The paper emphasizes the importance “familiarity” plays in building up trust through online and offline contact. I think this work would help me with exploring the mechanism that makes people choose Couchsurfing.
3. Cherney, M. R. Surf’s Up: Communicative aspects of online trust-building via reducing uncertainty online in Couchsurfing. Illinois State University, 2014.
This piece talks about how online reviews affect people’s choice of potential hosts. Unlike previous sources, this research deals not only with the mechanics of the selection process works and creation of trust, but also with the negative aspects of Couchsurfing and unsuccessful travel stories. I think this would work really well for a counterargument presenting the other side of the issue.
4. Pultar, E. The Role of Geography in Social Networks: CouchSurfing as a Case Study. University of California, 2011. Retrieved from
https://econpapers.repec.org/paper/cdluctcwp/qt9pp8j3km.htm Last accessed February 11, 2018
This paper presents statistics and uses quantitative data to support its claims. For example, it talks about the age and gender of hosts and guests who end up becoming a match. As I plan to compare Couchsurfing with other lodging options, this work would help me identify how planning a trip through Couchsurfing differs from traditional methods and sources.
5. Ronzhyn, A. Trust and Tolerance in Online Hospitality Networks. University of Deusto, 2015.
This is one of the most comprehensive works on the topic, which uses and analyzes 450 references to explore the connection between Couchsurfing experience and trust and tolerance. It also offers some interesting visual data that will help me draw a portrait of a traditional Couchsurfing guest/hosts.
6. Rosen, D., Lafontaine, P. R., & Hendrickson, B. “CouchSurfing: Belonging and trust in a globally cooperative online social network.” New Media & Society, 13(6), 981–998, 2011.
This work covers a wide array of issues faced by members of Couchsurfing community. It goes beyond the traditional image of Couchsurfing and explores it as a new social network with the sense of a unified community. Basically, the authors see Couchsurfing as a social development rather than a travel tool. I find these ideas helpful in understanding the future of my research object.
7. Skog, C. CouchSurfing – a choice for travelers. HAAGA-HELIA University, 2012. Retrieved from https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/39018 Last accessed February 11, 2018
Christina Skog’s original thesis is in Finnish. I was able to retrieve the English version. The author’s objective was to explore the existing prejudices towards Couchsurfing and see how they affect people’s behavior. I find this information really helpful in the part of my research paper devoted to the pros and cons of Couchsurfing as a travel tool.
1. Ayers-Greenidge, E. “Free Associations : An Exploration Of Guests ’ ExperiencesIn The Couchsurfing Exchange”. Wright Institute, 2012.
This research relates to the main question in my paper as the author discusses what makes tourists to use Couchsurfing services. Dr. Emery Ayers-Greenidge is a professor of psychology at the Wright Institute so she offers a special take on Couchsurfing phenomenon from the perspective of social psychology. Her research is aimed at defining the mechanism of motivation that makes the tourist select a potential host based on similarities in their lifestyle and character traits.
2. Bialski, P., & Batorski, D. “From Online Familiarity to Offline Trust: How a VirtualCommunity Creates Familiarity and Trust between Strangers.” In P. Zaphiris & C. S. Ang (Eds.), Social Computing and Virtual Communities (pp. 179–205). Boca Raton, USA: Taylor and Francis Group, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/9691743/From_Online_Familiarity_to_Offline_Trust_How_a_virtual_community_creates_familiarity_and_trust_between_strangers Last accessed February 11, 2018
Paula Bialski and Dominik Batorski dig further into the phenomenon of Couchsurfing as they recreate the process from making the first contact to building trust and maintaining a relationship within the structure. In their research, they have used a survey of over 3000 tourists from Couchsurfing.com, and conducted 30 personal interviews. Authors identify the route the potential tourists have to take to end up with a positive Couchsufing experience. The paper emphasizes the importance “familiarity” plays in building up trust through online and offline contact. I think this work would help me with exploring the mechanism that makes people choose Couchsurfing.
3. Cherney, M. R. Surf’s Up: Communicative aspects of online trust-building via reducing uncertainty online in Couchsurfing. Illinois State University, 2014.
This piece talks about how online reviews affect people’s choice of potential hosts. Unlike previous sources, this research deals not only with the mechanics of the selection process works and creation of trust, but also with the negative aspects of Couchsurfing and unsuccessful travel stories. I think this would work really well for a counterargument presenting the other side of the issue.
4. Pultar, E. The Role of Geography in Social Networks: CouchSurfing as a Case Study. University of California, 2011. Retrieved from
https://econpapers.repec.org/paper/cdluctcwp/qt9pp8j3km.htm Last accessed February 11, 2018
This paper presents statistics and uses quantitative data to support its claims. For example, it talks about the age and gender of hosts and guests who end up becoming a match. As I plan to compare Couchsurfing with other lodging options, this work would help me identify how planning a trip through Couchsurfing differs from traditional methods and sources.
5. Ronzhyn, A. Trust and Tolerance in Online Hospitality Networks. University of Deusto, 2015.
This is one of the most comprehensive works on the topic, which uses and analyzes 450 references to explore the connection between Couchsurfing experience and trust and tolerance. It also offers some interesting visual data that will help me draw a portrait of a traditional Couchsurfing guest/hosts.
6. Rosen, D., Lafontaine, P. R., & Hendrickson, B. “CouchSurfing: Belonging and trust in a globally cooperative online social network.” New Media & Society, 13(6), 981–998, 2011.
This work covers a wide array of issues faced by members of Couchsurfing community. It goes beyond the traditional image of Couchsurfing and explores it as a new social network with the sense of a unified community. Basically, the authors see Couchsurfing as a social development rather than a travel tool. I find these ideas helpful in understanding the future of my research object.
7. Skog, C. CouchSurfing – a choice for travelers. HAAGA-HELIA University, 2012. Retrieved from https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/39018 Last accessed February 11, 2018
Christina Skog’s original thesis is in Finnish. I was able to retrieve the English version. The author’s objective was to explore the existing prejudices towards Couchsurfing and see how they affect people’s behavior. I find this information really helpful in the part of my research paper devoted to the pros and cons of Couchsurfing as a travel tool.