Does Digital Nature Enhance Social Aspirations? An Experimental Study

Josca van Houwelingen-Snippe, Thomas J. L. van Rompay, Menno D. T. de Jong and Somaya Ben Allouch
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Josca van Houwelingen-Snippe: Communication Science, University of Twente, De Zul 10, 7522 NJ Enschede, The Netherlands
Thomas J. L. van Rompay: Communication Science, University of Twente, De Zul 10, 7522 NJ Enschede, The Netherlands
Menno D. T. de Jong: Communication Science, University of Twente, De Zul 10, 7522 NJ Enschede, The Netherlands
Somaya Ben Allouch: Digital Life Centre, University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam, Wibautstraat 2, 1091 GM Amsterdam, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Loneliness and social isolation are increasingly recognized as important challenges of our times. Inspired by research hinting at beneficial effects of interacting with nature on social connectedness and opportunities provided by ambient technology to simulate nature in a rich and engaging manner, this study explored to what extent digital nature projections can stimulate social aspirations and related emotions. To this end, participants (N = 96) were asked to watch, individually or in pairs, digital nature projections consisting of animated scenes which were either dense or spacious and depicting either wild or tended nature. Subsequently, they filled out a questionnaire comprising measures for social aspirations, awe and fascination. Results show that spacious scenes elicited significantly higher social aspiration and awe scores, especially when watching alone. Design implications are discussed for making digital nature accessible for people with limited access to real nature.

Keywords: digital nature; experimental study; spaciousness; social aspirations; loneliness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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