Information technology and the optimisation of experience – The role of mobile devices and social media in human-nature interactions

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8946047
AutoresIrma Arts (0000-0003-3505-6947, James Hutton Institute, autor de correspondencia), A Fischer (0000-0002-0034-3690, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Dominic Duckett (0000-0001-5151-2776, James Hutton Institute), René Van Der Wal (0000-0002-9175-0266, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Año2021
Volumen122
Páginas55-62
Fecha de publicación2021-04-13
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaGeoforum (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0016-7185 • E-ISSN: 1872-9398
EditorialElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.03.009
OpenAlexW3152680694
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas13
Referencias citadas34

Information technologies have seeped their way into every aspect of our lives, mediating interactions between ourselves and our environments. They are becoming an important part of human-nature interactions, with smartphones, their apps and social media offering new ways to plan, navigate and share experiences. This article explores the changes that these mobile media technologies bring to human-nature interactions, focusing on the outdoor practices of experienced outdoor users. Drawing on observational and interview data gathered in the Scottish Highlands, we analysed hillwalkers’, mountain bikers’ and nature photographers’ interactions with mobile media technology. Using social practice theory and the idea of technologies as ‘scripts’, we found that the increased availability of information reportedly enhanced access to, confidence in and knowledge about outdoor practices. Participants negotiated the use of devices within social norms of good practice, but generally showed enthusiasm for the ever-increasing access to information. The easy access to information and the ability to share one’s performance, inscripted in the technology, guided the participants to optimise their experience. Paradoxically, this optimisation seemed to reduce the likelihood of encountering unanticipated situations that would have made their experience memorable, something our participants had previusly identified as an important aspect of their outdoor activities. Our findings illustrate the value of an in-depth empirical understanding of lived experiences, revealing how interactions between technological scripts, personal agency and social norms amplify some aspects of human-nature interactions while attenuating others. Although incremental, these changes fundamentally alter the character of our experience of nature

Agency (philosophy · Enthusiasm · Information technology · Internet privacy · Mobile device · Scripting language · Social media · Social science · Sociology · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Innovative Human-Technology Interaction · Psychology · Social Psychology