Exploring the sense of place of traditional shopping streets through Instagram’s visual images and narratives

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to capture a sense of place by analysing the physical attributes of the traditional shopping streets located in Indonesia and Malaysia through Instagram posts.Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a direct content analysis using visual images of 400 posts of Indonesian and Malaysian respondents. The Instagram Application Programming Interface (API) was used to extract data from Instagram posts. It is then followed by the quantitative analysis to determine the frequencies of visual and narrative representations of physical attributes defining the sense of place.Findings Five visual and narrative categories, namely architectural style, store design, special focal points, and the varieties of products and services that represent the physical attributes of shopping streets, were investigated. The findings would benefit the urban preservation initiatives so that the sense of place as authentic tourism destinations can be secured.Social implications The awareness of the traditional shopping street as a place of character, especially from social media users, is able to create local values that lead to place imageability and promote national tourism.Originality/value This study captured the sense of traditional places based on the people’s identifications that were shared on social media platforms. The posts’ preferences confirmed the significance of traditional shopping streets as a place of attraction and identity. The findings addressed the functions of physical attributes in sustaining the historical and authentic values of traditional shopping streets.

Urban Dynamics in Historic Marketplaces: A Network Analysis of Traditional Bazaars in Baghdad, Iraq

“…Similarly, Zandieh and Seifpour (2020) advocate for the preservation of these markets as part of the intangible cultural heritage, especially in the face of increasing tourism demands. Khan, Tabassum, and Kusumowidagdo et al, delve into the spatial and physical characteristics of bazaars, proposing enhancements to public spaces and analyzing the physical attributes that attract tourism (Khan &Tabassum 2021;Kusumowidagdo et al 2023). Moreover, Al-Saaidy and Alobaydi examine the impact of spatial design on cultural diversity and the functionality of urban spaces, underscoring the importance of spatial planning in promoting cultural interactions in marketplaces (Al-Saaidy &Alobaydi 2021).…”

A Study on the Creation of Sense of Place in the Religious Commercial Ampel Corridors

“…This research will examine the importance of place preservation in an area and what sense of place indicators need to be preserved. Therefore, the user's perspective of an area is essential to ascertain the sense of place that needs to be preserved [4][5] [6].…”

Sense of Place of Heritage Conservation Districts under the Tourist Gaze—Case of the Shichahai Heritage Conservation District

“…Naoi et al (2011) asserted that HCDs are a comprehensive form of historical attraction with diverse features that visitors can gaze on, bringing tourists a unique tourism experience and tremendous economic value [8]. A substantial body of interdisciplinary academic literature has emphasized that sense of place can create local values that lead to place imageability and promote tourism development [9,10]. Sense of place is not only the embodiment of local value, i.e., a place is attributed with meaning and identity by growing a sense of place within the accumulation of history and culture [11], it is the motivation or experience of tourists to visit a specific place [12].…”