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Over the past few years, social networking sites (SNSs) have become very useful for firms, allowing companies to manage the customer–brand relationships. In this context, SNSs can be considered as a learning tool because of the brand knowledge that customers develop from these relationships. Because of the fact that knowledge in organisations is embodied in the concept of the learning organisation, customers may create brand knowledge as a consequence of two learning facilitators: informational and instrumental value. Then, the purpose of this paper is to identify the role played by brand knowledge in the process of creating customer capital, in the context of SNSs.

A total of 259 users of SNSs, who were followers or fans of brand pages, participated in this study. Data were collected through an online survey and they were analysed using structural equation modelling.

The results of the study show that brand pages at SNS can perform brand knowledge by providing purposive gratifications to its customers. Moreover, they can also develop an indirect effect on customer capital, through the direct effect that brand knowledge has on it. Therefore, the results of the study will help managers design their learning strategies in relation to SNS and confirm the need of using SNS as a learning tool.

Few, if any, studies have analysed whether gratifications, usually related to media, work as learning facilitators in the context of brand pages at SNS.

Social networking sites (SNS) enable users to create their own public profiles within a web site. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of people spreading misleading information or rumours (i.e. counter-knowledge) about friends and other people thanks to social media platforms. The purpose of this paper is to identify the role played by social networks in the process of creating counter-knowledge, focusing on the counter-knowledge that users develop in the context of SNS and its effect on utilitarian benefits.

This study analyses these effects through an empirical investigation of 236 users of SNSs. The methodology involves the construction and analysis of a structural equation model from a review of relevant literature.

The results confirm that, although the context of SNSs is a variable that will lead to positive effects on counter-knowledge, the relationship between counter-knowledge and utilitarian benefits becomes statistically insignificant. The results also showed that the content on social networks may lead to higher levels of utilitarian benefits. This either amplifies or helps to encourage cooperation among users and providers of rumours, beliefs and assumptions about what they think is the truth.

From a user perspective, few, if any, studies of SNS have considered the relationship between the information collected and generated by SNS and counter-knowledge. Therefore, the results of this study lead the authors to advise managers of SNSs considering that most but not all the content on SNSs is associated with the spread of rumours, misinformation and unverified claims.

Cultural tourism comprises several heterogeneous activities. According to tourists’ interest in culture and their level of involvement with the local population during the trip, segments of cultural tourism can be identified. Regarding their characteristics and the place of the visit, this chapter explores how cultural tourism can contribute to a country like Iran. Based on the literature, the discussion begins by describing tourists’ profile while highlighting some features related to their traveling behavior. In line with past studies on host–guest relations and the current stage of development of the country as an international destination, potential impacts of opening the country to international cultural tourists are analyzed.