Uitermark studies how digital platforms influence tourism in the city. He compares platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Google Maps and AI tools like ChatGPT. Each platform presents a different side of Amsterdam.
TikTok: food and long queues
Anyone viewing Amsterdam through the lens of TikTok sees something different from someone opening a travel guide. ‘Travel guides often show well-known places, such as the canals, museums, parks and monuments. TikTok more often focuses on one particular place,’ Uitermark explains.
The platform revolves around short, moving images, often from the creator’s perspective. This makes it feel as though you are being taken along to a place yourself. A delicious looking cookie, portion of chips or smash burger can be enough to make a small business hugely popular. The result is long queues outside small shops and food outlets, sometimes on streets not designed for large groups of people.