Digital Dynamics in the Urban Attractiveness: The Intersection of Social Media and Smart Cities

Smart city initiatives involve using digital technologies to enhance user experiences and improve the efficiency and attractiveness of urban environments. In this study, we examine how a city’s responsiveness to social media impacts the effect of digital technology implementation on the city’s urban attractiveness. We suggest that this impact occurs because the relationship, visibility, location, sharing and grouping aspects of social media influence the adoption and use of digital technologies in smart cities, and resulting user structures and behaviors. We use data for 30 Italian cities (2010-2021) to show that digital implementation reduces their effect on urban attractiveness after a certain threshold, and that social media platforms moderate this relationship, extending the threshold point. Moreover, we show how these effects vary for local and international users of a city. These findings contribute to smart city research by corroborating social media's role in contemporary cities and providing practical implications for institutions and public management in orchestrating smart city projects.