Re-conceptualizing recreation-based social worlds: examining the core characteristics of social worlds

ABSTRACTSocial worlds are a distinct form of human organization in which individuals organize themselves by using communication channels to spread knowledge and culture around a shared interest. The leisure sciences have increasingly used the social world vernacular to describe population samples of recreation-based groups. Social world vernacular can be confusing therefore; this research aims at discussing how social worlds are organized within the structure of society and reexamines what social worlds were intended to be in the context of recreation and tourism. The researchers identified three major characteristics and those characteristics’ ability to predict and make comparisons among social worlds and their membership. These characteristics include a social world’s shared culture, shared communication channels and shared knowledge.