Symbolic Production and Emotional Conflict in Rural Tourism from the Perspective of Media Sense of Place: A Computational Communication Analysis Based on Ctrip Tourist Reviews
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63313/SSH.9083Keywords:
Rural Tourism, Authenticity, Commercialization, Media Sense of PlaceAbstract
In the context of rural revitalization, rural tourism has become a key driver of rural economies. In the era of deep mediatization, tourists' perception of place has shifted from physical presence to symbolic construction. Drawing on the theoretical framework of media sense of place, this study analyzes 12,000 online reviews of the top ten rural tourist attractions on Ctrip. Through LDA topic modeling and sentiment analysis, it reveals the mediated logic of tourists' place perception in the digital age. Findings show that positive sentiments focus on the mediated transformation of natural landscapes and cultural symbols, while negative sentiments highlight the erosion of placeness by commercialization. This split in mediated sense of place reflects a failed negotiation between authenticity imagination and modernity demands. Accordingly, digital communication strategies for rural tourism destinations are proposed.
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