The Authenticity Challenge in Digital and Social Media in Cultural Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Contemporary cultural tourism faces a critical digital authenticity paradox where social media engagement necessitates platform integration, yet algorithms prioritize engagement-driven content over culturally accurate heritage representations. This systematic review develops an initial framework addressing authenticity preservation challenges through systematic analysis of platform-mediated heritage representation. Following PRISMA guidelines, researchers searched Scopus and ScienceDirect databases for peer-reviewed articles published 2020–2025 using search terms: “Cultural Tourism” AND “Heritage Tourism” AND “Photograph” AND “Social media” AND “Authenticity.” Inclusion criteria encompassed English-language journal articles and conference papers in social sciences, business, management, and humanities. VOSviewer software facilitated bibliometric analysis through keyword co-occurrence mapping with minimum three-occurrence threshold. From 68 articles, analysis revealed five thematic clusters: Ecosystem Tourism, Social Media and Technology, Tourism Management, Authenticity, and Photography & Storytelling, informing an integrated Input-Process-Integration-Output framework. Input encompasses cultural contexts and authenticity evaluation criteria; Process integrates social media dynamics with tourism management strategies; Integration synthesizes authentic contexts through platform-adapted digital storytelling; Output addresses platform-mediated tourist experiences. The framework establishes systematic relationships between heritage preservation and digital platform mechanisms, providing methodological innovation while addressing algorithmic optimization conflicts with heritage preservation, offering practical guidance for tourism organizations navigating Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and emerging platforms while preserving authentic cultural representation.