Abstract
This study investigates the role of social media platforms in shaping tourism trends through the content created by tourism influencers. Using purposive sampling, the research analyses influencer-generated content across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube between 2021 and 2025, focusing on platform affordances and algorithmically mediated visibility. The study uses content and sentiment analysis to identify themes in destination framing and assess followers’ sentiments. The research conceptualises a “digital gaze” to explain how influencer narratives, platform algorithms, and audience interactions coconstruct destination meanings. Findings reveal high engagement, with visual storytelling and algorithmically amplified content shaping perceptions of remote destinations, contributing to digital placemaking and reshaping tourism landscapes in South Africa.