The formation and functioning of the Airbnb neo-tribe. Exploring peer-to-peer accommodation host groups

Abstract

Some Airbnb host communities display the characteristics of neo-tribes. The neo-tribe literature offers rich insights into the life of a neo-tribe, but their formation and ongoing functioning remain under-researched. This paper investigates these issues using a netnographic approach that explored the formation and practices of a Tasmanian Airbnb Host Forum. The results reveal the reason for its formation and the functions of the neo-tribe, particularly as a support mechanism for hosts and defiance against perceived marginalisation by the tourism industry that has refused to embrace hosts; residents who viewed hosts as traitors; the government who regulates their entrepreneurial activities; and the media who vilified them. This study contributes to theory by developing knowledge on the stages of neo-tribal formation, and the influence that these stages have upon the ongoing function of the tribe.

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