The Device Effect on Visitor Critique: A Study of Mobile and Desktop Museum Reviews on TripAdvisor

This paper investigates the influence of device choice on the critique visitors leave on TripAdvisor for museum experiences. Utilizing a dataset of 286,379 reviews, we examine whether mobile reviews differ in promptness, negativity, and length compared to those submitted via non-mobile devices. Our findings reveal that mobile reviewer post more promptly after their visit, indicating a closer psychological proximity to the experience. These reviews are typically shorter and more negative, reflecting the constraints and immediacy of mobile interactions. The paper introduces novel insights into the role of device context in shaping visitor feedback and employs interaction effects to understand the complex dynamics between visit recency, sentiment, and review length. This research provides museums with actionable data to strategically tailor digital engagement and manage visitor relations in the evolving landscape of online reviews.