Social Media Driving Force Behind Increased Visits to National Parks

April 1, 2024

A new study from Georgia Tech’s School of Economics is the first to tie high levels of social media exposure to increased visitors to the U.S. National Parks — and the increased crowding and ecological damage they bring with them.

Casey Wichman, an associate professor of economics, found that parks with high social media exposure saw a 16 to 22% increase in visitors compared to locations that received less attention on social media. The growth began in 2013 when Instagram and Twitter started to gain popularity. GATECH